Animal Instincts ::A Kiba Love Story::
by madds
Summary: Fanfic between Kiba and OC Takara. Sent on a journey to beat the Akatsuki to the Sacred Shards Kiba and Takara must get over their deeply ingrained rivalry and work together.
1. Prologue: Akatsuki Ambush

Animal Instincts

Prologue: Akatsuki Ambush

Takara breathed hard as she stood in the clearing. There was a wooden pole in the middle of the clearing, which she was using to practice her taijutsu. The covering over the log had marks on it where she had hit it. Takara bent over and put her hands on her knees to catch her breath.

_Think you over did it?_

Takara looked at her hawk Kin who was sitting on top of the pole. She peered at Takara through her yellow eyes at she tilted her head to the side. Takara smiled and looked at Kin through her bangs with her own pair of yellow eyes.

"Of course not," she said. "I'm just getting warmed up."

Takara stood up and got into a fighting stance. She began to kick the pole in recession with her right leg. Kin continued to watch and would occasionally look off somewhere else.

Takara's leg was beginning to burn from th exertion of repeatedly kicking the pole. She gave one last kick and held her leg in that position before slowly putting it back on the ground.

She looked around the clearing, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of her stomach and was about to begin the exercise again when Takara saw the smallest flicker of metal in the trees. She narrowed her eyes, tiny veins stretching across her temples, as she activated her Hirakengan. She could now see the object clearly.

It was a headband. The ninja wearing it had blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail and bangs that covered the left side of his face. It was hard to tell, but the headband showed he was from the Village Hidden in the Rocks. Takara also noticed the slash mark through the headband; this shinobi was a missing nin.

Takara turned around; hoping that if she casually just left that the shinobi wouldn't follow her.

"Kin," she said quietly, gathering her belongings. "There is a missing nin in the brush over there, can you see him?"

Kin turned her head slightly to where Takara had indicated.

_Yes, I see him_, she said.

"I think it would be wise if we left," said Takara.

_I agree._

Takara picked up her cloak and threw it over her shoulders. She lifted the hood over her head and began walking away from the missing nin to the other side of the clearing. She kept her Hirakengan activated to keep an eye on the shinobi.

Suddenly, there came a barrage of kunai from where the missing nin was hiding. Takara took her own kunai and used it to block the others from hitting her, all of them falling to the ground.

_Run!_

Takara turned around and quickly sped out of the clearing into the the forest. She ran through the trees, the wind blowing passed her making her clothes stick tightly to her body and the hood on her cloak to fall onto her shoulders. Her long, smoky black hair fanned out behind her and her cloak rippled in the air.

She was running as hard as she could trying to escape the missing nin with the black cloak with red clouds on it. She had no idea who he was, but she knew the meaning of that cloak. He was an Akatsuki member. Why was he chasing her? She never had anything to do with the Akatsuki before and she wasn't too keen on having relations with them now.

A second person came from nowhere to join the first. He wasn't wearing the Akatsuki cloak, but instead had on a black suit and was wearing an orange mask.

Takara ducked under a branch and jumped down to a lower branch trying to shake off the two men behind her. She looked over her shoulder, her yellow, hawk-like eyes gleaming. She saw the blonde man and the man in the orange mask coming after her, the blonde on coming closer and closer, a maniacal grin on his face.

'What are they after?' she thought.

_Takara!_

Takara looked to her right and saw Kin flying next to her.

_What's going on?_ Kin asked. _Why are these men chasing you?_

"I'm not sure," said Takara."I've never seen them before."

_That's an Akatsuki cloak the blonde one has one, isn't it?_

Takara nodded as she ran through the trees trying to shake off the two men.

_Takara look out!_

Takara turned around and saw the blonde man send throwing stars at her. Takara jumped between branches trying to dodge the stars. One sliced through her right arm, a trail of blood rolling down her bicep. Takara barely noticed as she threw her own throwing stars their way.

She turned back around to see where she was going. A tree branch was dangerously close to her and she didn't have time to move out of the way.

She grabbed the branch with her hands and used her momentum to swing herself high into the next tree. She landed gracefully on the branch and sprinted across it to the center of the tree. She sent chakra down to her feet and used it to sprint down the trunk of the tree. She pushed off the tree and landed on the branch of another. She began jumping from branch to branch again as fast as she could.

Takara looked over her shoulder to see if the two men were still there. She didn't see anyone coming through the trees. She squinted her eyes, trying to see farther when she heard a voice in her ear.

"Looking for me, un?"

Takara felt an arm grab her around the waist and slam her against a tree. The man with blonde hair in a ponytail had her pinned against the tree by her throat and was looking at her with one eye, the other was covered by his hair.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?!" shouted Takara.

The man's eye got bigger and so did his grin. Takara struggled against his grip but he held tighter to her throat. She sent him a glare, squinting her hawk eyes and staring at him through her long bangs.

"My name is Deidara, un. "I only want something that you have and then I'll let you go, simple, right?" he said.

"I'm not giving you anything!" Takara cried.

Deidara narrowed his one eye, his face becoming more serious. Takara didn't waver. She stared at him with nor fear even though her legs trembled slightly.

"Un, alright, I'll take it then," said Deidara.

He reached out and Takara saw that he was going to grab the necklace she had found while on a mission for the Hokage. Takara smacked his hand away and kicked him in the chest. Deidara skidded across the branch as Takara stood still trying to catch her breath.

"You'll have to kill me if you want to take it," she said.

Deidara stood up, his grin back in place.

"That shouldn't be too hard," he said putting his hands in the pouches at his waist.

Takara had no idea what he was planning, but she wasn't going to act like a sitting duck and let him walk all over her. She got into a fighting stance and focused her chakra. When Deidara sent two clay birds towards her, Takara jumped up on a branch and threw more stars at Deidara. The birds exploded, throwing all the stars off course and Takara scanned the area for signs of the blonde man.

_Takara, he's behind you and to your left._

Takara turned that way and saw more clay birds coming at her. Her eyes focused on the birds as she sent throwing stars at them. The birds exploded in the middle of her and Deidara. Her hair whipped passed her face from the force and she put her arms up to shield her face from the blast.

"Where is he now, Kin?" Takara asked.

"Right here, un."

Before Takara had time to move, Deidara shoved a kunai into her back. Takara's body arched backward from the force of the blow as Deidara's maniacal smile reappeared. It didn't stay for long when Takara's body disappeared in a cloud of smoke and exposed a log in its place.

'Un, Substitution Jutsu!' Deidara thought.

The log fell on the branch and rolled a little to expose a slip of paper with writing on it. It started to smoke at the edges. Deidara's eye widened as the log exploded in front of him. He put his arms up to shield himself. The blast sent him back as he collided with the trunk of the tree.

"Are you ready?" shouted Takara as she leapt down in front of Deidara and swung at his head.

Deidara moved out of the way of the punch and sent one flying at Takara. They blocked and swung repeated throws until Deidara caught Takara in the side, then in the chin and last he kneed her in the stomach. Takara bent over slightly from the impact, the wind being knocked out of her. Deidara grabbed her by the throat again and lifted her off her feet.

"I told you I would take what I need, yeah," said Deidara.

"No, you won't," said Takara.

Deidara looked up at her as Takara's eyes widened and a tiny black pupil appeared in the shape of a diamond. Deidara's face froze as his whole body began to move very slowly, then completely stopped. His pupils slowly turned into a diamond shape as he stood still.

Takara freed herself from his grip as the other man, the one in the orange mask, came over.

"Deidara-senpai, did you get the shard?" he said.

Deidara remained silent and motionless.

"Deidara?"

Takara knew the paralysis would only last for several minutes. She needed more then that in order to get away and she couldn't have this guy on her tail either. Deidara put her hands on Deidara's side and pushed him hard. His body tilted before beginning to plummet to the ground.

"Deidara-senpai!" shouted the man in the orange mask as he jumped down to help his comrade.

Takara quickly made her escape through the trees and continued toward Konoha with Kin flying by her side.

* * *

Hinata sat on a bench outside the ninja academy waiting for Kiba and Shino to meet her. They had just finished training and were heading back to town. She played with the ends of her long hair, becoming impatient with them. Hinata was about to get up when there was a blur of material and a thud on the ground in front of her.

"Takara!" she cried.

Hinata got off the bench and ran to Takara's side. She checked all her vitals and saw she was fine, but Takara needed immediate care for the gash in her arm and the numerous cuts and scrapes and bruises.

Hinata looked around wildly for someone when she caught sight of Kiba walking towards her his hands in his pockets and his head down slightly. Akamaru was walking by his side.

"Kiba!"

His head snapped up and he stopped at the sight of Hinata kneeling next to an unconscious Takara. Kiba sprinted over to the two girls and knelt next to Hinata.

"What happened?" he asked Hinata.

"I-I don't k-know," she said somewhat shaken.

Kiba looked down at Takara.

'She looks pretty bad,' he thought.

"Hinata, we have to take her to get help."

Hinata nodded.

Kiba picked up Takara bridal style, her body falling limply over his arms. He stared down into her face, which was all smeared with dirt and scraps. Takara and him might not get along all the time, but he still hated to see her like this.

There was a screech overhead and Kiba and Hinata looked up. Kin was flying overhead; she swooped down and landed on top of Akamaru's head, which he didn't seem to mind her being there.

Kiba nodded and said, "Let's go!"


	2. Ch 1: Not Wanted Here

Animal Instincts

Chapter 1: Not Wanted Here

In the past.

The sun was beginning to set in the yard with the high, stone wall, which had an opening to allow entrance. There was a little girl in the yard with smoky, black hair and golden, yellow eyes. She was spinning around in circles with her arms spread out wide like an eagle's. She was smiling from ear to ear as she turned and ran around the yard. She paused briefly, then turned her body over in a cartwheel.

A screech came from above and 8-year-old Takara look up to see Kin flying into the yard. Takara held out her arm for Kin to land on. Kin was the size of a large sparrow and landed gently on Takara's arm.

"Where have you been?" asked Takara.

_I've been out finding food_, said Kin.

Takara nodded, her short hair swishing, and said, "Well, now that you're back we can play."

Kin tilted her head to one side as she studied her human friend. _What game shall we play?_

"I'm not sure," said Takara. She bit her lip and put her index finger to her chin, furrowing her eyebrows. "We're not going to play tag again. I'll never beat you at that game, you cheat."

_You never said I couldn't fly._

Takara laughed. Kin was her best friend and the closest one to her. Takara would do anything for Kin because she knew kin would always be there for her. This reminded Takara of what happened earlier that day.

"Maybe we should train instead," she said.

_Why would you want to train?_ Kin asked.

Takara's face became serious."Because you know that stupid Tazkou will try and pull something on us tomorrow for beating him and his hawk Nun today."

Kin nodded her head solemnly. _You're right, Takara. Those two could never stand being beaten, especially by us._

Takara nodded. "That's why we have to be on out guard."

"Takara!"

Takara looked up to see her mother, Tsubame, on the front porch holding the door open. Her black hair was tied back and she had her hand lifted to block the rays of the setting sun.

"It's time for dinner! Come in and get washed up!"

Takara looked at Kin with a frown.

_I guess it will have to wait until later_, said Kin.

Takara let her arm fall and she ran to the door as Kin flew behind her. They went inside and Takara washed up for dinner. When she came out her father, Seiji, was waiting at the table.

"There's my girl!" he said as he got up and grabbed Takara in a big bear hug. She giggled as he lifted her off her feet. Seiji was a big man with thick arms and broad chest. His smoky, black hair was long and unkept and he used a bandanna to keep it out of his face.

"Dad, you're going to crush me!" Takara cried.

Seiji let his daughter down as Tsubame came over with the plates of food. They began to eat as Tsubame and Seiji talked about their days as Takara sat listening.

"So Takara," said her mother. "How was your day? Anything exciting happen?"

Takara paused with a big mouth full of food. She looked over at Kin who was eating with her parents' hawks. Kin had stopped to look at Takara who was still trying to swallow her bite of food.

Takara nodded as she took a final gulp.

"After school, something happened," she said uncertainly.

"Like what?" asked her father.

"Well, I saw that kid Tazkou picking on one of my friends and calling her hawk stupid. So I ran over and told him to shut up," she paused to see if her parents would say anything.

"Go on," said Tsubame.

"Then he got mad because I told him to shut up and he called Kin stupid, too. I told him his hawk Nun was worse so he challenged me to a contest between Kin and Nun.

"What kind of contest?" Seiji asked while taking a bite of food.

"Dive bomb. We put a bell on a tree stump and Kin and Nun had to fly up and when we all said 'go' then they flew down as fast as they could and the first one to get the bell would win."

"Who won?" said Tsubame.

Takara smiled. "Kin, of course."

"That's my girl!" Seiji exclaimed. "Never backing down!"

Tsubame smiled softly and said, "Now you'll have to be careful, Takara. You've told me about that boy Tazkou before and how he doesn't like you for always challenging him. I want you to keep an eye out when he's around."

Takara nodded. "Me and Kin will go and train after dinner."

Her parents nodded and they continued to eat their food. A few moments passed by without conversation and they could hear voices and a commotion beginning outside. Seiji looked over at Tsubame.

"You hear that?" he asked.

Tsubame nodded and Takara nodded even though she wasn't addressed.

"Seiji!" came the sound of someone's voice.

Takara's dad had stopped eating at the sound of the fuss outside. He got up from the table and went to the front door. He opened the door and outside was a mob of people. One man stood in the entranceway to the Nishimura yard.

"We have a bone to pick with you," the man said.

"I don't know what could possibly make you come to my home and disturb me and my family, Kanou," said Seiji.

The man's face stayed deadly serious. "It's about your daughter," said Kanou.

Takara gasped when she heard this and looked at her mother. Tsubame had heard this as well and gave Takara a stern look. Takara shook her head.

"Mom, I didn't do anything bad, I promise," she said. "I don't know what they're saying."

Tsubame nodded at her daughter and concentrated on what was being discussed outside. They got up from the table and went to stand behind the front door.

"My daughter hasn't done anything wrong," said Seiji, his voice was steely.

Kanou shook his head and took a step towards Seiji.

"Takara is a menace, Seiji," he said. "My boy tells me she picks on kids at school and terrorizes the instructors."

Seiji's face contorted with anger.

"Everyone knows that it's your boy, Tazkou, that's been causing all the problems at the school. Takara is the only one who will stand up to him. I suggest you get your story straight, Kanou," said Seiji, authority emanating from him.

"You're so blind, Seiji! Takara is a loose cannon. She was caught breaking a window just today!"

Seiji's body tensed. "What proof do you have?"

Kanou pulled a feather out of his pouch. It was a golden color with brown at the tips and had brown specks.

"This belongs to your daughter's hawk, doesn't it,"said Kanou. "It was found not 10 feet away from the scene."

It was unmistakably Kin's feather. No one had a hawk with the same plumage as Kin. That's why Takara had liked her so much.

"This proves nothing, Kanou," said Seiji. "Kin goes everywhere with Takara. Of course there are going to be feathers left at the school."

Kanou let his arms fall to his sides. The crowd, which had been silent, now began murmuring.

"I'm not here to convince you," said Kanou. "We want your family to leave. That girl isn't wanted here."

Seiji was silent. His eyes narrowed at Kanou and then darted from face to face as he searched the people in the crowd. He ran a hand down his face in frustration. He had known these people almost his entire life. When had they suddenly turned against him and his family.

It was Kanou Higa. The Higa family was the most powerful and influential in their village of bird tamers. It was no wonder he had gotten people to come out here with him. How many of the people in the crowd had he had to bribe or blackmail? Nearly everyone owed him money or was indebted to him in some way.

Not Seiji, though. Seiji had always said he never wanted to be indebted to someone. Because then he could be used, just like Kanou was using the people in the crowd to try and influence Seiji.

"This only skims the surface of why you want me to leave, Kanou," said Seiji. "You've never been able to deal with the fact that you have no control over me or my family. And that little brat of yours can't control my daughter. You're too afraid to admit that you're intimidated and don't want anyone getting in the way of you controlling the town. Why bring my daughter into this, Kanou? You coward."

Kanou's face became red and his brown eyes narrowed at Seiji.

"You don't want to mess with me, Nishimura. I'll tear you to shreds."

Seiji got down into a fighting stance. His normally calm, golden eyes became tense and concentrated as veins feathered across his temples.

"Just try."

"Father!"

Takara burst through the door with Kin on her heels. She grabbed her father's leg and hung onto him. The crowd murmured and some even pointed at Takara. Many of them were pointing at Kin, distinguishing the match between her and the feather Kanou still held in his hand.

Seiji didn't move, he didn't even look at Takara as he said, "Takara, get back inside."

"Daddy, I didn't do anything he said I did. He's a liar! I would never do those things!" Takara shouted.

Seiji looked at her out of the corner of his eyes and gave her a small smile. "I know," he said.

Tears began to build in Takara's eyes. She buried her face into her father's leg. "I don't want to stay here anymore," she said.

Seiji relaxed from his stance and put his hands on Takara's shoulders. She looked up at him with her tear stained face.

"Takara, please go back inside," said Seiji.

Takara paused before her face turned serious and she nodded. She walked back into the house and her mother grabbed her to her chest. They watched as Seiji walked off the porch toward Kanou very slowly. He reached the other man and talked to him very slowly. Kanou didn't move a muscle or say a word. When Seiji was finished he turned back to the house and walked inside, shutting the door behind him.

Takara and Tsubame looked at him, waiting for him to say something. Seiji kept his head bowed and his eyes closed for several moments before saying, "We're leaving."

Tsubame got up and went to her husband. "Seiji, where are we going to go?"

He put his hands on her shoulders and put his forehead against hers, his eyes closed. He stayed that way for a moment before lifting his head and saying, "We'll go to Konohagakure. The Village Hidden in the Leaves."

They were all silent for a few moments. Then, there came a soft whimper from Takara as she felt her bottom lip tremble. Tears started to form in her eyes as her face scrunched up.

"Are we leaving because of me?" she asked covering her eyes with her hands.

Seiji went to Takara and gathered her in his arms.

"No, Takara," he said softly. "This isn't your fault. And it's not such a bad thing that we leave either. That boy Tazkou was never nice to you. It might be good to go to a new place where you can make friends, right?"

Takara sniffled and nodded her head.

"That's my girl. Now we have to start packing now. The sooner we get out of here the better. I have an old acquaintance that lives in Konoha, Hiashi Hyuga, and he should be able to help us out with getting settled there."

Takara was shooed up the stairs and into her room where she began taking all her clothes and putting them into bags. She continued to cry silently as she packed her things.

_Are you going to be alright, Takara?_ Kin asked.

Takara nodded. "I'll be okay. I'm just ... scared. What if the other kids don't like me? What if they're like Tazkou?"

_We'll act like we always have. There's no reason for us to be afraid as long as we have each other._

Takara nodded, drying her eyes with the back of her hand.

"You're right, Kin. I'm not going to be afraid! We'll show them all what we're made of!"

Takara finished packing and pulled her bags and bundles down the staircase. Her mother was tying a note to her father's hawk's leg and her father was finishing packing everything into the wagon and hitching the mules to the front.

"Why are you putting that on his leg?" Takara asked her mother.

"It's a note," said Tsubame. "Letting your father's friend know our circumstances so that when we arrive he'll be able to help us."

Takara nodded and helped her mother put her things in the back before climbing into the front seat. Her mother and father climbed in on either side of her and her father picked up the reins to the mules.

"Are you girls ready?" Seiji asked.

"I'm ready, dear," said Tsubame. "Takara? How about you?"

Takara sat still for a moment. She was leaving the only home she had ever known to go somewhere she'd never even heard of. How was she supposed to be ready for that in a matter of hours?

Takara got onto her knees and looked over the back of the wagon at their house. There were no lights lit, the curtains that normally hung in the windows were taken down and the plants that always sat on the windowsill were gone, too. Everything they had was in the back of the wagon, ready to go to a new home.

But was she ready?

Takara took a deep breath, nodded her head and turned around to sit back down in the seat.

"I'm ready," she said.

Seiji snapped the reins and the mules began to pull the cart forward. It rolled out of the yard and onto the street. As they were pulling away from the town Takara looked back and saw a boy peeking out from behind a tree at them. Takara instantly knew it was Tazkou. She wanted to leap out at him for making her family leave, but she turned away from him and stayed where she was.

Seiji eyed his daughter as she sat between him and her mother. She was tense and he knew she must have seen the Higa boy behind the tree. Seiji had known he was there long before they had passed him. He had hoped Takara hadn't seen him, but from the look on her face he knew she had.

"Relax, Takara," he said.

She snapped her head up at him, looking surprised. Seiji chuckled.

"You don't have to think about that boy anymore. We're going somewhere where he can't bother you anymore."

Takara smiled. "I know, Daddy. That's why I'm ready to leave."

Preview Ch 2:

"Do you use Kin for fighting?" asked Dou.

"Yeah. I've only had her for a few months now, but we've started training together. She's pretty good," said Takara proudly.

"What can she do?" asked TenTen.

"She's really good at dive bomb attacks. She can come within an inch of the ground and be able to pull up in time without getting hurt."

A snort came from Kiba. Takara looked over at him to see him shaking his head. She put her hand on her hip and glanced at Kin who was also looking at Kiba with narrowed eyes.

"Something funny?" Takara asked, trying to hide her annoyance.

"No," said Kiba. "I just can't see what a dive bomb has to do with attacks. It sounds a little pointless to me."


	3. Ch 2: New Friends New Rivals

Animal Instincts

Chapter 2: New Friends; New Rivals

Recap:

Seiji eyed his daughter as she sat between him and her mother. She was tense and he knew she must have seen the Higa boy behind the tree. Seiji had known he was there long before they had passed him. He had hoped Takara hadn't seen him, but from the look on her face he knew she had.

"Relax, Takara," he said.

She snapped her head up at him, looking surprised. Seiji chuckled.

"You don't have to think about that boy anymore. We're going somewhere where he won't bother you anymore."

Takara smiled. "I know, Daddy. That's why I'm ready to leave."

(3 days later)

Takara had her head resting on her mother's shoulder as she slept lightly. It had been a three-day journey to Konoha, but they were finally coming to the last stretch. Her father's hawk Asa had come back with a note from her father's friend Hiashi Hyuga who had agreed to help them get settled here.

Seiji told Takara that Hiashi had a daughter around her age and that they should get along just fine. Takara's spirits were lifted knowing that she already had a friend in her new village.

Takara was having trouble sleeping because the ride was so bumpy. She opened one eye slowly to look around at her surroundings. In her old village they had lived in rocky canyons with high winds. The sun was always bright and shining and there weren't many trees. Here in the Fire Country, though, it wasn't as bright and there were a lot more trees and grass. Takara knew that the hawks would like having the trees around.

Kin, Asa and her mother's hawk Ryn had flown off for food and to scout the area. Takara was starting to get bored and stiff from being in the wagon for so long. She shifted and her mother looked down at her.

"You awake, Takara?" she asked.

Takara nodded. "Where are we?"

"We're almost there. In about twenty minutes we'll be coming to the entrance."

Takara sat up and looked around. She couldn't see Kin or the other hawks anywhere. Seiji seemed to know what she was thinking because he said,

"They'll be back anytime now, don't worry."

Takara looked at her father, surprised that he knew she was wondering where the hawks were. She nodded and looked out at the road. Takara couldn't help but become more and more anxious with each moment.

What would it be like in Konoha? Were the kids anything like Tazkou or would they be like her friends were? Was Hiashi's daughter nice or was she mean? Where were they going to stay? Was it going to be with the Hyuga family or did they already have a place in the village? Takara couldn't stop all these questions from running through her mind.

She looked up at the sky to watch the clouds float overhead. She closed her eyes, wishing that when she opened them they would be at the entrance to the village. She opened her eyes again. They weren't at the entrance but she did see Kin flying towards them with Asa and Ryn. Takara sat up and waved at the hawks. They all flew down and landed on the back of the seat.  
_  
__The entrance is very close_, Kin said.

Takara nodded; glad to hear this news. She was anxiously watching for the entrance. If only she didn't have to wait! Every second seemed like ten minutes.

Finally, in the distance she could see something. Takara activated her Hirakengan and could see the entrance. There was a space in a high stonewall that had an arch over it. There was a guard standing watch next to the entrance and there were two others walking behind the wall looking over the top.

"I see it!" Takara exclaimed to her parents, pointing ahead.

Seiji smiled and nodded. He flicked the reins on the mules and they sped up a little. He looked down at Takara and saw her Hirakengan activated.

"Takara," he said. "It might not be a good idea to have your Hirakengan out when we come to the entrance. We don't want to make them think we're dangerous. I don't think anyone in this village knows about our kekkei genkai."

Takara looked at her father with a curious look, but decided not to say anything. She deactivated her Hirakengan and looked at her mother. She was watching Takara with a thoughtful look.  
"Are you nervous?" she asked, her golden yellow eyes looking into Takara's bright yellow ones.  
Takara shook her head and gave her mom a smile.

"I'm just glad to be getting out of this wagon soon," she said with a laugh. "My butt feels like it has splinters in it!"

Seiji let out a huge laugh, which made everyone in the wagon begin to laugh. They pulled up to the entrance of Konoha and the guard stopped them and came up to the side of the wagon.

"State your business," he said.

Seiji looked at the guard and said, "We've come from a village on the eastern borders of the Wind Country called Tsumegakure to meet with Hiashi Hyuga."

The guard gave Seiji a suspecting look. He then looked at Takara and Tsubame and the three hawks still perched on the back of the seat. He raised his hand to cover his eyes from the sun and looked back at Seiji.

"What do you have in the back?" he asked.

Seiji remained calm and cooperative as he replied, "Belongings. Clothes, furniture, keepsakes. Things of that nature."

The guard blinked and asked, "Why do you have all that?"

At this Seiji seemed to go a little tense. Takara couldn't understand why. She looked at her mother who had a stern face, her mouth set in a grim line. Takara looked back at her father who had closed his eyes in thought.

"We've … had to severe ties with our old village," he said.

The guard's face seemed to soften a little as he nodded.

"I see," he said. "I'll send word to Master Hyuga to let him know you are here so he can escort you through the city."

Seiji nodded. He got down from the seat and walked to the mules. He gave them a small handful of pellets used to give the animals strength, plus it was like a treat to them. He rubbed their noses and checked their harnesses.

Takara looked at her mother, a question itching at her mind.

"Why didn't dad tell the man we had been banished?" she asked her mother.

Tsubame looked at Takara with surprise and glanced quickly at the guard to ensure he wasn't able to listen.

"Because if we tell him we were banished, then he might think that we did something wrong to deserve banishment," she told Takara.

Takara nodded her head. That made sense. Just like he had told her not to use her Hirakengan. It was so they wouldn't give anyone the wrong impression. If this was going to be their new home then they needed to start out on the right foot.

Takara got an idea. She hopped down from the seat and walked to the guard who had his back turned to her. He was looking up at one of the other guards talking to him. Takara reached up and tugged at the back of his shirt. He looked over his shoulder and then looked down at her. He gave her a bemused expression and put a hand to the back of his head.

"Hi," said Takara with a smile.

The guard quirked an eyebrow and stared at her.

"My name is Takara Nishimura!"

Takara stuck out her hand and waited for the guard to take it. He paused and then his face changed from bewildered to calm. He smiled a little and let his hand drop from the back of his head as he reached out and took her hand gently and shook it.

"It's nice to meet you," he said.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. … Uh," said Takara with her eyebrows furrowed.

The guard chuckled. "Dan Ito. You can call me Dan."

"Dan. I like your name. It's easy to remember."

"Takara!"

Takara turned around and saw her father coming toward them. He put his hands on her shoulders but looked at the guard.

"She wasn't bothering you, was she?" he asked.

"Not at all," said Dan.

Takara smiled and looked up at her father.

"I was only introducing myself," she said smiling up at her father.

He lifted one side of his mouth in a half smile. He nodded his head and squeezed her shoulder.

"I have a younger brother about your age, Takara," said Dan. "His name's Shin. Perhaps you'll get to meet him sometime."

Takara smiled and her eyes glowed. She now had another friend! She hadn't even set foot into the village yet and she already had two friends. She looked at her father who gazed down at her.

"Come on back to the wagon," he said softly.

Takara nodded and looked at Dan. "It was great to meet you, Dan," she said as she bowed.

"It was good to meet you, too, Takara," he said lifting his hand in a half wave.

Takara walked back to the wagon with her father and climbed back into the seat. Seiji stayed on the ground looking down the main street of Konoha for signs of Hiashi. Takara stood on the seat and looked the same way. She couldn't see anyone so she shaded her eyes with her hand. It would be so much easier if she could use her Hirakengan. She looked out of the corner of her eye at her father. He was still looking down the street. Takara squinted her eyes hoping her father wouldn't notice.

"Takara."

Takara froze, a slight blush rising to her cheeks.

"Don't even think about it," Seiji said as he looked at her.

"I wasn't," Takara said with a small laugh as she put her hand behind her head.

They turned back to look at the street and saw a man with long black hair wearing a white robe and black cloak walking towards them. His eyes were completely white with no pupils. With him was a girl that looked to be the same age as Takara. She was wearing a white kimono and had short blue-black hair.

Takara looked at her father who had caught sight of the two people. He smiled and raised his hand up high and gave a slight wave. Takara looked back at the man and girl. The man raised his hand in response, but his face remained the same. The little girl held onto his cloak and held her hand near her chin.

Takara smiled. This had to be them. She hopped down from the wagon and stood next to her father. Hiashi walked up to them and stopped in front of her father.

"It's been a while, Seiji," he said.

"Yes, it has," said Seiji giving the man a smile.

Hiashi lifted the side of his mouth slightly in a small smile. "It's unfortunate we had to meet again under these circumstances."

"True, but it was a good thing as well. I'd like to introduce my daughter."

Seiji nudged Takara in the back and she stepped forward.

"My name is Takara, sir. Thank you for helping us."

Hiashi nodded in response. He put his hand on his daughter's back and moved her forward. She seemed hesitant and didn't look Takara or anyone else in the eye.

"This is my daughter, Hinata," said Hiashi. "She's your age, I believe."

Takara smiled and took Hinata's hands. Hinata looked up at Takara with a shocked look on her face.

"Hinata," said Takara. "I know we're going to be great friends!"

Hinata paused before she relaxed a little and gave Takara a small smile before nodding her head. Takara looked up at her father who had a smile on his face, as well as Hiashi.

"Come," Hiashi said. "I've acquired an apartment for you already, like you asked."

"Excellent," said Seiji.

Takara went with her father to the wagon and got up on the seat and sat next to her mother. She was smiling from ear to ear as they followed Hiashi to their new home.

(Next day)

Takara was in her room unpacking her belongings and getting settled in her new room. Her parents were in their room doing the same. She had her door open and heard the knock on their door.

"I'll get it!" she said as she ran out of her room, down the stairs and to the door.

She opened the door and saw Dan standing on the threshold. He smiled down at her when she opened the door.

"Dan!" Takara exclaimed with a smile.

"Hey, Takara," he said. "How's the moving going?"

"It's great! Come in and see what we've done so far."

Dan stepped into the room and looked around. He nodded his head as if agreeing with a mental decision of his own.

"It does look nice, Takara," he said. He caught sight of Kin who was perched on the back of one of the chairs. "Who's this? I remember seeing her and two others yesterday when you came to the gate."

"This is my hawk, Kin. She goes everywhere with me," said Takara. She held out her arm and Kin fly over to her and landed on her arm.

"What beautiful coloring," he said looking at Kin.

___He's a smart person,_ said Kin.

Takara smiled and giggled. "Kin says she likes your taste."

Dan laughed as Takara's parents came down the stairs into the living room.

"Oh, dear, we have a visitor and the place is still such a mess!" Tsubame said when she saw Dan standing in the living room.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "It's only your second day here. I didn't expect you to have everything done."

Seiji walked towards him and held out his hand.

"It's Dan, right?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Dan as he shook Seiji's hand.

"My name is Seiji. It's good to see you again."

"You, too, sir," said Dan. "I was hoping I could steal Takara away from you for a while. I wanted to introduce her to my brother and some of his friends."

"Really?" Takara cried, excitement shining in her eyes.

"Of course, I told you I would," said Dan.

Takara's smile grew ten times bigger. "Can I go, please, please, please!"

Seiji furrowed his eyebrows and brought a hand to his chin in mock concentration.

"I don't know," he said. "There's still a lot to be done."

"Thanks, Dad, I'll see you later!" said Takara as she and Dan ran out the front door, Kin following close behind them.

Seiji shook his head as he watched his daughter take off down the road.

Takara and Dan walked down the street. Dan had his hands in his pockets as Takara walked next to him with Kin on her shoulder.

"Your brother's name is Shin, right?" Takara asked.

Dan nodded. "He has some his friends over right now so I thought it would be a perfect time to bring you over. Hinata's there, too."

Takara couldn't wait. They continued to talk as they walked toward Dan's home. They reached the yard and walked in. There was a group of kids on the porch all talking with each other. Takara saw Hinata sitting on a bench next to a girl with brown hair in two buns. With them were four boys. One had short blue-black hair and looked like Dan, the second had long black hair and white eyes like Hinata's, the third had short brown hair and brown eyes and the forth also had short brown hair and had red marks on his cheeks.

Takara and Dan walked over to the group and Hinata got up and went over to Takara.

"Takara," she said softly.

"Hinata," Takara said. "It's good to see you again."

Hinata nodded. They walked onto the porch and Dan introduced everyone.

"Takara," he said. "This is my brother, Shin." The boy with the short blue-black hair raised his hand, he didn't smile and he almost looked grumpy.

"This is Dou Fukazawa."

"Hey!" said the boy with the short brown hair and brown eyes. He smiled widely at Takara and she smiled back.

"That's Neji Hyuga." The boy with the long black hair and white eyes nodded his head, keeping his expression serious.

"Here is TenTen."

"Hi!" said the girl with the brown buns.

"And this is Kiba Inuzuka," Dan finished.

Kiba lifted the side of his mouth in a half smile and gruffed, "Hey."

"I'll see you later, Takara, ok?" Dan said as he walked into the house.

"Alright," said Takara.

She turned back to the group and saw everyone looking at her. She blushed slightly and put her hand behind her head, trying to laugh it off by saying, "So, what's going on?"

"Nothing," said TenTen. "Kiba was telling us how he was going to be getting his nin-dog in a few months."

"A nin-dog. That's really cool."

Kiba didn't say anything. He just stared at Takara and would occasionally look at Kin. Takara continued to talk with the others and learned that she was the same age as all of them except for Neji and TenTen, who were a year older.

"So do you use Kin for fighting?" asked Dou.

"Yeah. I've only had her for a few months now, but we've started training together. She's pretty good," said Takara proudly.

"What can she do?" asked TenTen.

"She's really good at dive bomb attacks. She can come within an inch of the ground and be able to pull up in time without getting hurt."

A snort came from Kiba. Takara looked over at him to see him shaking his head. She put her hand on her hip and glanced at Kin who was also looking at Kiba with narrowed eyes.

"Something funny?" Takara asked, trying to hide her annoyance.

"No," said Kiba. "I just can't see what a dive bomb has to do with attacks. It sounds a little pointless to me."

Everyone in the circle of kids became silent as they watched Takara for her reaction. She watched Kiba for a moment before saying, "Of course it would seem pointless to you. You have no idea how to train a nin-hawk. You still don't even have an animal partner yet."

Kiba balled his hands into fists, glaring at Takara. She glared back at him. Who did he think he was? She hadn't said more then five sentences to him and he was already making trouble.

"Wait until I get my nin-dog. Then I'll show you who's the better animal trainer. My nin-dog and me would beat you and your hawk anytime," said Kiba.

___Let's see his nin-dog try and catch me first,_ said Kin.

Takara looked at Kin with a grin. Kiba looked at Kin too and narrowed his eyes.

"What did she say?" he asked.

"She said she'd like to see your nin-dog try and catch her when she's flying twenty-five feet up in the air," said Takara with a smile.

Kiba looked away and folded his arms over his chest. A few moments passed without anyone saying a word. Kiba's head shot up and he pointed at Takara.

"That's it," he said. "From this point forward, me and you are rivals, Takara!"

Takara blinked in surprise. The other kids looked at her, waiting for her reply. She made a 'tch' sound and shrugged her shoulders.

"Fine," she said looking away from Kiba. "If that's how you want it to be. But I never back down, Kiba Inuzuka!"

"Fine!"

Kiba turned on his heel and walked out of the yard. Takara folded her arms over her chest and looked at the other kids. They all looked at her wondering what she was going to say now.

"Whatever," she said. "Let's talk about something else."

The other kids jumped on this idea, but Takara remained a little quieter now. Only her second day in Konoha and she already had her first rival. She hoped Kiba wouldn't be as bad as Tazkou was.

Preview Ch 3:

"Shin didn't actually say something funny for once, did he? Can't believe I missed that," said Takara smiling.

Dou shook his head. "No, that's not it."

Takara lifted one eyebrow at Dou. "Then what is it?"

"When are you going to admit it?" he asked.

"Admit what?"

"You and Kiba totally have a thing for each other," Dou said waving his index finger in front of Takara's face.

"That's absurd!" she shouted obviously agitated now with Dou.

Dou however was unaffected by Takara's attitude and continued.

"You know you can't deny it. It's written all over your face."

"You're about to get my fists all over your face if you don't knock it off!"

"Oh, I'm soo scared."

"Dou, knock it off, will ya?" said Shin.


	4. Ch 3: Team 11

Animal Instincts

Animal Instincts

Chapter 3: Team 11; Dou's Sacrifice

Recap:

"That's it," he said. "From this point forward, me and you are rivals, Takara!"

Takara blinked in surprise. The other kids looked at her, waiting for her reply. She made a 'pft' sound and shrugged her shoulders.

"Fine," she said looking away from Kiba. "If that's how you want it to be. But I never back down, Kiba Inuzuka!"

"Fine!"

Kiba turned on his heel and walked out of the yard. Takara folded her arms over her chest and looked at the other kids. They all looked at her wondering what she was going to say now.

"Whatever," she said. "Let's talk about something else."

The other kids jumped on this idea, but Takara remained a little quieter now. Only her second day in Konoha and she already had her first rival. She hoped Kiba wouldn't be as bad as Tazkou was.

***

Takara fit nicely into the social circle of children in Konoha. Many of the kids loved that she had a nin-hawk, which was rarely seen. Her easy-going and bubbly personality made it easy for the kids to like her. That fall she was enrolled in the Ninja Academy with Hinata and the other kids their age.

Takara did very well in the academy and was one of the top in the class, which made Kiba angry. He didn't like that Takara did better at the academy, but it didn't matter too much to him. He really wanted to beat her at training his dog Akamaru. After classes Kiba would see Takara with Kin in the training field. He would watch their fighting style and practice with Akamaru on ways that he could beat it.

Of course, Takara wasn't going to let Kiba get away easily. She too would watch him train with Akamaru. He was a good fighter and he cared a lot about Akamaru, the same way she cared about Kin. Takara had to admit, reluctantly, that Kiba was a commendable rival.

Upon graduating from the Ninja Academy Takara was placed in Team 11 with Dou Fukazawa, Shin Ito and their sensei Ryuuna Yoname. Ryuuna-sensei was a jonin specializing in ninjutsu, which was good because Team 11 loved using ninjutsu. Takara would use many ninjutsu techniques while battling with Kin as her partner, Shin used a lot of earth type ninjutsu attacks, and Dou was a turtle summoner or at least he was aspiring to be. For now he could only summon small turtles that weren't very useful in a real battle.

They worked together well and Ryuuna-sensei was always commending them for the way they trust each other and work through their challenges together. Takara loved being on Team 11 with Shin and Dou. They were quickly becoming her closest friends even though they were all totally different.

Shin was always the quiet one. He kept his hands in his pockets like his older brother Dan always did and he always had a serious face. Of course he wasn't mean either. Dou on the other hand was the complete opposite; you couldn't get him to shut up. Dou always had something to say and had boundless energy. Of course he wasn't a total airhead either and was a great ninja.

One day Takara was walking with Kin on her shoulder to a tree in the middle of town where she was meeting her team to receive their next mission. She was about to turn the corner when someone came around it and ran right into her. She felt Kin fly off her shoulder as she put her arms up to shield herself and the person who ran into her grabbed her by the upper arms to steady themselves.

Takara looked up to see that it was Kiba who had run into her. They paused, looking each other in the eyes, their faces only a few inches apart.

Takara snapped out of the shock first. She turned her head away and shrugged Kiba's hands off her arms.

"Watch where you're going next time," she said while walking around him.

Kiba let out a low growl as she walked around the corner, but Takara ignored it. Kin flew back onto her shoulder, not saying a word. She walked to the tree where Shin and Dou were already standing. She saw that Dou looked like he was about ready to burst out laughing.

"Shin didn't actually say something funny for once, did he? Can't believe I missed that," said Takara smiling.

Dou shook his head. "No, that's not it."

Takara lifted one eyebrow at Dou. "Then what is it?"

"When are you going to admit it?" he asked.

"Admit what?"

"You and Kiba totally have a thing for each other," Dou said waving his index finger in front of Takara's face.

"That's absurd!" she shouted obviously agitated now with Dou.

Dou however was unaffected by Takara's attitude and continued.

"You know you can't deny it. It's written all over your face."

"You're about to get my fists all over your face if you don't knock it off!"

"Oh, I'm soo scared."

"Dou, knock it off, will ya?" said Shin.

"What's going on here?"

Dou and Takara turned to see Ryuuna-sensei walking toward them, her hands swinging by her sides. Takara gave Dou a glare out of the corner of her eye and he stuck his tongue out at her.

"Nothing," Takara mumbled.

Dou didn't say anything, but continued to smile obnoxiously at Takara. Shin, who had been leaning against the tree this whole time, kept his arms crossed and didn't say a word. Ryuuna looked between her three students and shrugged.

"Well, come on. We have to go to the Hokage," she said.

Takara started walking with her sensei and she could hear Dou and Shin walking behind her. Shin was silent, as usual, and Dou was still smiling to himself.

_  
__Ignore him, Takara_, said Kin.

"I know," Takara said. "He just acts so stupid sometimes."

They arrived at the Hokage's office without further conflict. They walked inside and stood in front of the Hokage as he looked through his list of missions. He paused on one and glanced from the scroll to Team 11.

"Hm," he said. "I'm going to do something out of the ordinary."

Takara listened intently to the Hokage. What was he going to do? She looked at Shin on her direct left and Dou on Shin's left. They too were listening carefully to the Hokage's words.

"I'm going to assign you a C-rank mission," said the Hokage.

Takara tried to keep her face serious, but inside she was jumping up and down. She looked at her comrades and saw Shin was still the same and Dou was smiling from ear to ear.

"You will be delivering a message to the Kazekage in Sunagakure," said the Hokage. "This shouldn't be difficult since we have an alliance with the Village Hidden in the Sand. I don't foresee any dangers. You leave in one hour."

"Great! Then let's get going!" exclaimed Dou.

He turned and started heading out the door. Shin bowed to the Hokage and walked out behind Dou.

"Thank you, sir!" Takara said as she bowed before heading out the door with Ryuuna-sensei behind her.

"Can you believe it? Our first C-rank mission!" cried Dou. "I can't wait!"

Takara smiled and nodded. They walked away down the main road with Ryuuna-sensei and stopped by the tree where they had met earlier.

"I'll meet you all back here in an hour," she said. "Be ready to leave when I get here."

"Right," said Takara.

***

"Ryuuna-sensei, why aren't we staying?"

Teams 11 had just given the scroll to the Kazekage of Sunagakure and were now leaving to go back home. It was in the early afternoon, but Takara, Dou and Shin were all very tired from walking so far. It would've been nice to sleep in a bed for the first time in five days.

"If we leave now we can make it back to Konoha a day early, Takara," said Ryuuna. "Also, it's not such a bad thing that you three get used to sleeping outside for long periods of time. In the future you'll be sent on mission that will keep you away for months before you ever see a bed, let alone sleep in one."

Takara sighed. Her body was very tired. She looked at Kin on her right shoulder and saw that Kin had her head tucked under her wing and was sleeping soundly. Takara envied her so much at that moment.

"Keep moving," said Ryuuna-sensei.

Takara picked up her feet and sped up. They walked all day with only one stop because Dou started complaining and wouldn't be quiet. For once Takara appreciated the fact that Dou couldn't shut up.

The path widened into a small canyon where they were able to make a camp between a section of rocks and stop there for the night. Ryuuna-sensei decided it wasn't a good idea to build a fire since they were in another country and there were still rogue ninjas that inhabited the canyons. They all sat in a circle and ate their cold dinner. The moonlight was just enough for them to be able to see each other and enough of their surroundings.

Takara took a bite of bread and chewed on it, almost too tired to even make that small effort. She swished down some water and passed the canteen to Shin who also took a drink. Dou took a gigantic bite of his own bread, his cheeks full as he chewed.

Ryuuna-sensei ate quietly as she watched her team thoughtfully.

"You've all worked well on this mission," she said.

Takara, Shin and Dou looked up at her. Dou still had cheeks full of food.

"What do you mean, sensei?" asked Takara.

"Though the mission has been uneventful, you've all been very attentive and I appreciate everything you've done on this mission. I'm very proud of all of you."

Takara grinned as she looked at her teacher. Dou gulped down his food and grinned widely, even Shin cracked a smile.

"Well, you know how it is," said Dou. "Being one of the top genin teams and all."

"Yes, you've all worked very hard," said Ryuuna-sensei. "But that doesn't mean you can let it go to your head. You still have a lot to learn and this mission isn't over yet. Anything can happen."

"Is now a good time?" came a voice.

Everyone jumped up from their spot and formed a four-man circle with their backs to each other so they could see the enemy from every side. Takara was faced away from the man that had entered the clearing, but she had her Hirakengan activated and could still see him, although his face was still obscured by shadows.

Ryuuna-sensei had pulled out her kunai and was holding it in front of her body, poised for any sign of attack.

"We aren't here to cause trouble," she said.

"Oh, but I am," the man said. "You see, we aren't affiliated with the Hidden Village of Sand. We're part of our own traveling group. This is our territory and we don't appreciate strangers coming in."

"It was a simple misunderstanding," said Ryuuna. Even though she was complying with what their intruder was saying, she didn't sound weak. She knew that they were all tired and a fight would only make things worse and none of them were in any condition to fight.

"It doesn't work that way," said the man.

He stepped forward out of the shadows and into the moonlight. Takara's jaw dropped as she recognized who it was. Kanou Higa, the man that had driven her and her family from their home. Takara's body tensed as the old feeling of resentment rose in her. How could this have happened?

Takara listened closely as Kanou began to speak again.

"In my clan, trespassing is an unforgivable offense," he said. "For an outsider, the punishment is death. I'm willing to let you go free in exchange for all your belongings."

Takara snorted. She saw Kanou raise his eyebrow in inquiry. Even Shin and Dou gave her questioning looks out of the corner of their eyes.

"You picked the wrong group to try and steal from, … Kanou Higa," she said without turning around. "You're clan doesn't own these lands anymore then we do. The Higa clan is from the small hidden village to the eastern border of the Wind Country called Tsumegakure. The Hidden Village of Talons. A village known in the Wind Country for their isolation and their hawk training abilities."

"How do you know all this?" asked Kanou. He looked a little shaken.

"Because," said Takara, her face completely blank. "I'm from there."

She turned around and watched as Kanou's eyes widened when he saw her face. His skin became pale at the sight of the deadliness in her yellow eyes.

"Takara Nishimura," he whispered.

"Didn't think you'd ever see me again?"

Kanou didn't say anything. His face became serious once again and he whistled a shrill note and four other shinobi jumped from behind the rocks into the clearing. Takara noticed maybe one or two people that had once been from Tsumegakure. The others were people she had never seen before and therefore could not expect what attacks they might use.

"Kin, keep an eye on the skies," Takara whispered. "You'll be outnumbered and I don't want you getting hurt."

_  
__Don't worry about me, Takara,_ said Kin. _I know how to handle myself._

The air became very still as every person in the clearing stood ready for battle. The silence was so thick it felt almost suffocating.

Kanou nodded his head and said, "Take them out."

The four ninjas all moved at once, but Team 11 was quicker then that. It was an even match, one-on-one between eight shinobi. Kanou stood to the edge of the clearing and surveyed the battles.

Takara was matched against a woman she remembered from Tsumegakure. The woman fought oddly though. As she and Takara were locked in a physical blow-by-blow battle, Takara noticed that the woman never looked her in the eyes. Had this woman been told of her kekkei genkai's powers?

Takara reached up and grabbed the woman's leg that was being thrown into her face. She stopped the kick and grabbed the woman's ankle with both hands and threw her over her shoulder. The woman flipped her body in mid air and was able to gain balance as she slid across the ground.

Takara looked to her left as Kanou threw a shuriken straight at her. Takara jumped out of the way, barely missing the weapon as it flew passed and was embedded into a boulder. The woman jumped at Takara knocking her to the ground. The woman straddled Takara as she wrapped her hands around Takara's neck. Takara tried to pry the woman's fingers from her throat, but they didn't budge.

Takara pulled her legs to her chest and pushed her feet against the woman's abdomen, which flipped the woman over Takara's head landing with a thud on her back. Takara leapt up from the ground and began to charge the woman. Takara backed her up against a stone as they exchanged blows.

Suddenly, Takara saw behind her several kunai heading straight for her back. She jumped up onto a larger rock as the kunai barely missed her and were driven into the body of her opponent. The woman let out a shriek of pain that slowly faded as she fell forward onto the ground, a pool a blood slowly seeping from her body. Takara waited a few seconds before jumping back into the clearing.

Ryuuna-sensei was fighting the biggest of their enemies and was handling him with amazing agility and accuracy. Shin's opponent now lay on the ground at the edge of the clearing with several huge stones littered around his body. Shin was now helping Dou fight another ninja who was wielding a huge sword and swinging it wildly.

Takara ran to help her Sensei when Kanou moved to block her way. Takara stopped and balled her hands into fists.

"You shouldn't have said anything, Takara," said Kanou. "It would have saved you a lot of trouble."

"Did you expect me to stand by and let you steal from us?" said Takara with venom in her voice. "I'd rather be tortured then to sit by and let you walk over us."

"Well, you might get your wish."

Kanou reached into his side pouch and pulled out several shuriken. He threw them at Takara. She crouched low to the ground to dodge them and threw shuriken at his feet. Kanou jumped into the air and dodged the attack, but Takara had used that as a diversion. She leaped up and swung her leg in the air, landing a blow to Kanou's side. He fell to the ground and rolled a couple times before laying face down to the ground.

Takara stood there for a moment and watched Kanou's body. He seemed to be knocked out. He wasn't going to be a threat anymore. Takara turned around and began to walk away towards her teammates.

Everything after that seemed to move in slow motion. All of them had finished their battles and were watching the dispute between her and Kanou take place. She looked up at them and saw Ryuuna and Shin yelling at her. Shin had is hands cupped over his mouth and he was shouting her name. Ryuuna-sensei was pointing behind her and had was hollering something Takara couldn't hear, but she knew what their frantic gestures meant.

Takara turned around and looked over her shoulder in time to see Dou run up behind her and throw his arms out wide. She stared as an orange blast erupted in front of him and sent his body flying backwards into her. His back hit her chest and knocked her down with him.

Two blurs ran passed her as Ryuuna-sensei and Shin went to finish off Kanou. Takara shifted Dou's body off of her and onto the ground. She stared at his chest which had been torn open from the attack. It seemed Kanou had thrown more weapons at her, but this time with paper bombs attached. The weapon's metal was lost deep in Dou's flesh and Takara chocked back a gasp at the sight of all the blood seeping onto her hands.

Silent tears ran down her face as she stared at her teammate. Dou was becoming extremely pale and she could tell he was losing a lot of blood.

"Dou," whispered Takara, unable to believe what she was seeing. She felt like she was in a dreamlike state.

Dou barely opened his eyes as he searched for the voice that had called to him. He found Takara kneeling over him. He smirked at her softly, feeling what energy he had left seeping out of his body. He held out his hand for her to take and she did. He closed his eyes and hoped he just fall to sleep.

A sudden pain gripped his abdomen, searing and sharp. It didn't allow him to breath. Dou grabbed Takara's hand tighter as he tried hard to fight against the pain. His vision was becoming darker and darker.

Takara was watching as Dou became frantic. His face was contorted with pain and his breathing was becoming labored. Takara wasn't sure what to do, but she held on tighter to his hand. She felt helpless. How was she supposed to cure him? How could she save him?

Soon, Dou's body relaxed and his head fell limply to the side. His grip on Takara's hand loosened completely and his body became still. Takara sat there looking at her friend's now lifeless form. She closed her eyes as more tears came pouring down her cheeks. She bit her lip to stifle the cry that rose in her throat.

Takara felt Shin and Ryuuna-sensei kneel down next to her and touch her shoulders. But no amount of comfort could assuage this feeling inside her that convinced her this was all her fault.

***

Preview Ch 4:

"Hey, Shin," she said putting on a small smile. "What's up?"

Shin shrugged. "Do you know why Sensei told us to meet her here?"

Takara shook her head. "She didn't tell me. I was hoping you would know."

"If it was a mission she would have told us. Wonder why she's being so secretive."

Takara nodded.

"You look tired," said Shin furrowing his eyebrows.

"I'm fine," said Takara looking away and hoping he would drop the subject.


	5. Ch 4: Chunin Exams

Animal Instincts

Animal Instincts

Chapter 4: Chunin Exam; Grass Nin

Recap:

A sudden pain gripped his abdomen, searing and sharp. It didn't allow him to breath. Dou grabbed Takara's hand tighter as he tried hard to fight against the pain. His vision was becoming darker and darker.

Takara was watching as Dou became frantic. His face was contorted with pain and his breathing was becoming labored. Takara wasn't sure what to do, but she held on tighter to his hand. She felt helpless. How was she supposed to cure him? How could she save him?

Soon, Dou's body relaxed and his head fell limply to the side. His grip on Takara's hand loosened completely and his body became still. Takara sat there looking at her friend's now lifeless form. She closed her eyes as more tears came pouring down her cheeks. She bit her lip to stifle the cry that rose in her throat.

Takara felt Shin and Ryuuna-sensei kneel down next to her and touch her shoulders. But no amount of comfort could assuage this feeling inside her that convinced her this was all her fault.

***

Light filtered through the curtains into the small bedroom. The small beam of light rose as the sun came up. The light crossed Takara's face making her squint and pulled the covers up over her face. Bird chirps could be heard outside and Takara pulled the covers away from her face and scowled at the window.

She sighed and threw the covers off herself and sat up in bed. Her hands were resting in her lap as she looked around her room. Takara's eyes landed on the framed picture of her and her team. Ryuuna-sensei stood in the back with her hands on her hips as her three students stood in front of her. Dou stood in the middle and had his arms around Takara and Shin's shoulders with a grin plastered on his face.

Takara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It had been almost six months since Dou died on that mission. The horrible memories still followed Takara wherever she went. Coming back to the village with a teammate missing had caused quite an uproar from the other ninjas. Takara put on her best face, trying to look like she was taking it all smoothly, but inside she couldn't help but blame herself.

Ryuuna-sensei had told her thousands of times that this was a part of a ninja's life and that losing people you care about was something every ninja had to face. Takara wished she could have faced it later and not sooner.

She got out of her bed and began getting ready for the day. She had moved out of her parents' house and gotten an apartment a block away. She was still getting used to the silence that greeted her at home. Even though moving had been her decision she still got lonely being by herself.

Takara left her home and walked down the street with Kin on her shoulder. She and Shin were meeting Ryuuna-sensei on the bridge over the river. Ryuuna-sensei didn't say why, only just to meet her. Takara reached the bridge before her other comrade. She hoisted herself up onto the railing and watched as Kin flew over the water stretching her wings.

Even Kin had grown quiet after Dou's death. The first days had been hard on Takara and even though Kin tried to talk to her and cheer her up, there was nothing that could be done.

_**  
**__**Takara, you can't mope forever. You have to get out of the house,**_** Kin said.**

**  
****"No, Kin, I don't," Takara had said. "Now leave me alone, I don't want to talk about it."**

_**  
**_**_But Takara, maybe if-_**

**  
****"I said I don't want to talk about it!"**

**  
****Takara threw her pillow at Kin who flew off her perch. She turned her back to Kin who watched as Takara's shoulders began to shake and small sobs could be heard.**

Kin had never brought up the subject again. Kin knew not to say anything about it to Takara. It would only result in a glare from her human partner. She flew back to Takara who was still sitting on the railing. She landed on her shoulder and tugged at her bangs.

Takara let out a soft laugh, "Kin, cut it out."

_  
__You still look tired. Did you get enough sleep?_ Kin asked.

"Not really," said Takara.

_  
__Was it the nightmares again?_

Takara nodded. Ever since Dou died Takara had been plagued by nightmares of his death. It played over and over in her mind without end. She would wake up in a cold sweat and have trouble falling back to sleep. They didn't come as much anymore, but when they did it was still powerful.

"Takara."

Takara looked up to see Shin walking towards them. At least she still had Shin. Even though he rarely talked and when he did it was only a few sentences at a time. Takara was surprised though because Shin had come out of his shell more since Dou's death. It was easier to talk to him now and she could actually get him to respond with more then a shrug.

"Hey, Shin," she said putting on a small smile. "What's up?"

Shin shrugged. "Do you know why Sensei told us to meet her here?"

Takara shook her head. "She didn't tell me. I was hoping you would know."

"If it was a mission she would have told us. Wonder why she's being so secretive."

Takara nodded.

"You look tired," said Shin furrowing his eyebrows.

"I'm fine," said Takara looking away and hoping he would drop the subject.

Shin shook his head, obviously not fooled by her answer. He crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a stern look.

"Look, Takara," he said flatly. "This has got to stop."

"What?" Takara asked, her voice sounding strained as if she knew what was coming.

"It's been six months since we went on that mission to Sunagakure. You keep beating yourself up over Dou and it's not helping you or anyone else."

"You don't understand," she weakly injected.

"I understand enough to see that you still blame yourself for his death. Takara, Dou was doing what he was trained to do and that was to protect his comrade. You can't beat yourself up because of it."

"You're wrong!"

Shin's face changed from frustrated to surprised. Rarely had Takara ever yelled at him. Sure she had yelled at Dou all the time, but that was because he purposefully got on her nerves. Shin decided to remain quiet and listen to her.

"You have no idea what it's like to know that because you were too weak, someone had to sacrifice their life to save you. I wasn't strong enough to protect myself, let alone my teammates."

They were silent for a moment. Takara was looking out at the river, trying as hard as she could to keep her face blank and her emotions inside. Shin stared at her the whole time, worrying about her thoughts.

"Then become stronger, Takara," he said firmly.

Takara drew in a breath and looked at Shin, her eyes wide and her teeth clenched together.

"Don't make excuses for yourself. We all lost Dou, not just you. You don't see me or Ryuuna-sensei blaming you for Dou's death, so why should you? Become stronger, Takara, so you don't go through this again."

Takara looked down at the floor and closed her eyes. She knew he was right. She had to let go of this hurt she was holding onto. Dou wouldn't have wanted her to be like this. He would've said the same thing Shin was saying now, only sooner.

_  
__Listen to him, Takara,_ said Kin.

Takara took a slow, deep breath and nodded her head.

"You're right," she said softly. "You're right. Thanks, Shin. You're a good friend."

Takara gave Shin a weak smile and he nodded his head, glad to see that she was finally sounding like her old self. They were startled when out of nowhere Ryuuna-sensei appeared on the bridge in a puff of smoke.

"Good morning!" Ryuuna-sensei said cheerfully.

"It is too early for you to be so happy," said Shin.

Takara laughed at this, which caused Ryuuna-sensei to look at her and then look back at Shin who gave Ryuuna a thumbs-up. Ryuuna nodded.

"I'm sure you're both wondering why you're here, right," she said.

They both nodded and waited.

"I don't know if you've heard about the Chunin Exams starting in a few days, but I've recommended you both for the exams."

"Seriously, sensei!" Takara said. "Are you sure we're ready for it? I know there are genins who have taken the exam many times and never pass. It's supposed to be extremely difficult."

Ryuuna-sensei nodded her head.

"And there will be much more competition this year as well," said Shin. "My brother tells me that there are ninja from all different lands coming here for the exams."

Ryuuna-sensei nodded again.

"Plus, we'll be outnumbered. We only have two on our team when almost all the other genin teams have three," Takara said. She was proud that she was able to mention their casualty without becoming discouraged about Dou.

Ryuuna-sensei nodded her head again and then looked between her two students.

"Are you two done telling me things I already know?" she said.

Takara and Shin looked at each other then looked back at Ryuuna.

"I've thought about everything you both have told and more. There's the fact that you two are the youngest in your age group. Everyone expects you two to either wait until next year or fail. But I believe in the two of you. You've both come a long way. Especially since losing your companion. I know you both can do it."

Takara straightened her shoulders as she listened to her sensei. We may be the underdogs in this, but we can show the other genins what Team 11 is made of.

Ryuuna-sensei reached into her back pouch and pulled out two slips of paper. She held them out to Shin and Takara.

"These are your application forms," she said. "It's up to you two to decide. You have until three days from now to make a decision. You two will go to room 301 when you have decided."

Shin and Takara took the papers in their hands and nodded as they looked down at them. Takara couldn't believe Ryuuna-sensei had recommended them. After everything that could possibly hold them back they were still going to try for the Chunin Exams.

Takara wondered how many people would be there and what villages would be represented. She looked at Shin and they smiled at each other. None of it mattered. They would prove themselves to be better then the competition and Takara would show Kiba who was the best animal trainer in Konoha.

***

The beginning of the Chunin Exams had gone smoothly for Team 11. Though they had walked in on the uncomfortable situation of Naruto telling everyone in the room that he was going to beat them. Then three ninjas from the Sound Village attacked some guy in glasses. Takara and Shin seemed to not be noticed by the other ninjas in the room though. They walked passed the rest of their rookie comrades, Takara sending Kiba a defiant stare as he returned one of his own.

The written exam went well for Shin and Takara. They were both able to cheat without getting caught, Takara obviously using her Hirakengan and Kin to steal the answers. Shin, who has become very sensitive to vibrations in the earth and other objects, used the vibrations created by the pencil strokes on the desk of the ninjas sitting next to him to find the answers.

Takara was very eager to continue with the exams. She was confident that if she and Shin continued like this, they would have no problem getting to the end. On the day they met with the Chunin leaders in front of the Forest of Death, Shin seemed to sense Takara's anxieties.

"Takara," he said. "If you're not feeling up to it, we can easily back out and wait until next year."

"No," she said, her face was very serious and her body was tense. "I want to do this. I know we can make it."

With that Team 11 entered the Forest of Death.

***

Takara and Shin walked through the forest. They had already found their scroll and were on their way to the tower in the center of the forest. They were both very tired and wanted to be inside and out of this retched forest. Takara's feet felt heavy as she walked in front of Shin, using her Hirakengan to sense any potential threats.

They had been ambushed already on their second day by three Waterfall genin. They had been somewhat tough to beat, but Shin and Takara made a good team. They only hoped that they wouldn't run into anyone else.

"Do you see anything, Takara?" asked Shin. He had chakra focused at his feet to sense any vibrations in the earth.

Takara shook her head. "Haven't seen anything yet, but the closer we get to the center the more people we're going to run into."

"You think?"

"Yeah. The genin that can't find a scroll on their own will wait to ambush the genin teams coming to the tower with the scrolls they've found. I have a feeling that we'll have at least one set of visitors before we reach the tower."

Takara and Shin were able to find a small clearing to rest in. They used the Barrier Encampment Method to set up four bombs around them so if any enemy were to try and cross into their clearing the bombs would go off and Takara and Shin wouldn't be taken by surprise. Takara stretched out on the grass, grateful for the break.

"I think we should be able to make it to the tower by tomorrow," said Shin. "As long as we don't run into any trouble."

Takara nodded. It was the not running into trouble part that would be hard. This forest was full of dangers beyond the other ninjas. There were poisonous bugs and snakes that they had to watch out for and some of these things were absolutely gigantic.

"Who should sleep first?" asked Shin.

"You go ahead. I'll stay up and keep watch with Kin," Takara said as she sat up.

Shin nodded and lay down on the grass. Takara sat in the middle of the encampment with her legs crossed and Kin on her shoulder. She had her hands on her knees and kept her eyes peeled for any sign of movement. She would have to sit like that for an hour or two to give Shin a chance to sleep.

As the minutes ticked by Takara was becoming more and more fatigued. To keep her awake, Kin would periodically pinch Takara's shoulder with her talons. Even though she hated when Kin did that Takara knew she had to stay awake somehow.

"Kin," Takara said. "Fly above the tree canopy and see if you can spot the tower."

_  
__Right,_ said Kin.

She flapped her wings and took off towards the trees. Takara took a deep breath and concentrated on staying awake. Her Hirakengan was using most of the energy she had left. Takara looked around the area. She began to feel as though something or someone was watching them outside her line of vision, but where could they be that she wouldn't see them.

The Hirakengan was designed to track body heat. If her enemy kept cool then Takara couldn't use her eyes to find them. She would have to use her ears. Takara closed her eyes, listening intently for any sound. The forest had become extremely quiet.

Then she heard it. The smallest creak could be heard coming from above her. No wonder she'd had trouble sensing them. Takara opened her eyes. Now that she knew where they were, she'd be ready for their attack. Takara reached over and nudged Shin.

"Shin," she whispered, trying not to be overheard. "Wake up, we've got company."

Shin's eyes opened instantly. "Where?" He whispered.

"They're above us, in the trees."

Shin nodded as he sat up. Would it be better to leave now and hope these ninja didn't follow them or should they wait and face the ninja head on? Shin knew that they were tired. Especially Takara since she hadn't gotten a chance to sleep. It would be better to try and avoid a fight.

"Maybe if we act like we don't know they're there, they'll leave us alone," said Shin. "Let's see if we can walk the rest of the way to the tower."

Takara nodded. They packed up there things, making sure to keep their eyes peeled and their ears sharp for any movements. Takara hoisted her pack onto her back as Kin came back.

_The tower isn't very far at all_, she said. _It's a lot closer then we realized. Thirty minutes walking distance_.

"That's good news," said Takara.

_But, there are other ninja in the trees watching you guys._

Takara nodded. "We know. That's why we're leaving. Hopefully we can avoid a fight."

They began walking in the direction Kin told them, trying to stay calm and be ready for any attack. The forest was extremely quiet right now, like the calm before a storm. Takara scanned the trees, her Hirakengan still activated. She couldn't sense the ninja that were there before. Maybe they'd finally found some luck.

They continued to walk towards the tower, anxious to be out of this forest and done with this round. The minutes rolled by and soon it seemed like they'd been walking for a lot longer then thirty minutes.

"Are you sure it was only half an hour away, Kin?" asked Takara.

I'm sure, it couldn't have been much more.

"Takara," said Shin. "Do you see anything?"

"No, but something isn't quite right," she said.

"Yeah, I feel it too."

They walked for a few more minutes when they came to a clearing. They both stopped dead in their tracks. This was the clearing they had just stopped at!

Takara and Shin looked at each other and nodded.

Takara sent four or five shuriken into the trees just as Shin threw his fist into the ground causing the earth to rumble and the ground to split open causing a tree to fall over. Three shinobi jumped down from the trees and into the clearing to surround Shin and Takara. They all had headbands with the symbol of the Hidden Grass Village.

"Give us the scroll and we'll let you go," said one of the grass-nins.

"You'll have to pry it from our cold dead fingers," said Shin.

"Not a problem."

The five ninjas stood ready to face off and the battle began.

***


	6. Ch 5: Hardest Battle

Recap:

Animal Instincts

Chapter 5: The Hardest Battle; Takara's Vow

Recap:

"Takara," said Shin. "Do you see anything?"

"No, but something isn't quite right," she said.

"Yeah, I feel it too."

They walked for a few more minutes when they came to a clearing. They both stopped dead in their tracks. This was the clearing they had just stopped at!

Takara and Shin looked at each other and nodded.

Takara sent four or five shuriken into the trees just as Shin threw his fist into the ground causing the earth to rumble and the ground to split open causing a tree to fall over. Three shinobi jumped down from the trees and into the clearing to surround Shin and Takara. They all had headbands with the symbol of the Hidden Grass Village.

"Give us the scroll and we'll let you go," said one of the grass-nins.

"You'll have to pry it from our cold dead fingers," said Shin.

"Not a problem."

The five ninjas stood ready to face off and the battle began.

***

Takara and Shin stood back-to-back as they watched their opponents. Takara had a kunai pulled out, waiting for one of the Grass-nins to try and make a move. The air was completely still and not a sound was heard. Takara shifted her eyes between the faces of her enemies.

They were all male shinobi, which meant they would try and double-team her, thinking she'd be the weakest. One of them, the one that had spoken and seemed to be the leader of the three, had long, spiky black hair and his whole right arm in wrappings. Another, which was the shortest, wore his forehead protector over the top of his head causing his lengthy, black hair to cover part of his face. The last one, the tallest, had no hair and wore wrappings over his head and had a small goatee. He wore his forehead protector like an armband.

Takara would have to be smart if her and Shin wanted to get out of this alive.

All of a sudden Shin lifted his right arm and drove it into the ground causing it all to crack and forcing the Grass-nins to jump out of the way. The shortest threw shuriken at Takara, but she used her kunai to block all of them. Kin flew off her shoulder and into the trees as she threw her kunai at the shortest. He dodged out of the way and the weapon sunk into a tree trunk.

The leader ran at Shin with two kunai in his hands. Shin pulled out his own and their weapons clashed together. They pushed apart but the leader swung his kunai at Shin's face. Shin pulled back and the weapon slashed through the air inches from his face. Shin thrust his left hand upward and drove his kunai into the grass-nin's arm. He then grabbed the ninja's arm and threw him across the clearing where he was able to land on his feet and skid across the ground. The leader pulled the kunai out of his arm and threw it away.

"You two are good," he said standing next to his partners. "But we're only warming up."

The shortest nin rapidly made hand signs and Takara could feel something slithering around her ankles. She looked down and saw vines wrapping themselves around her and Shin's ankles. The vines tightened and lifted them off their feet making them dangle in the air. Takara and Shin grabbed their kunai and easily slashed through the vines.

They turned over in the air and landed on a tree branch. Shin made hand signs and stretched out his hands palms up. The rocks that had been made when he punched the ground began to shift under the feet of the grass-nins. They all had to jump from rock to rock to keep from falling as Shin moved the rocks and tried to hit the shinobi with them.

As the grass-nins were jumping between the rocks Takara whistled and Kin flew out of trees. The grass-nins looked up to see Kin drop several explosives on them. The smallest one was able to maneuver the vines to knock away the explosives coming at him. The leader jumped out of the way but one of the explosions singed his shirt. The tallest one was caught in the explosions and he was sent flying into a tree and knocked unconscious.

The two remaining nins stood in the clearing looking up at Takara and Shin. Takara brought her hands up and rapidly made hand signs. When she finished the last hand sign she held it as her shoulders hunched forward. Her body began to shake and the grass nins stared at her, waiting to see what was going to happen. Suddenly two golden wings protruded from Takara's back and fanned out behind her.

[This is a ninjutsu technique used only by ninja from Tsumegakure. It is called 'Hidden Flight Jutsu' and the wings can be used for defense and offense. ^.^]

Takara took deep breaths as she tried to steady herself. This jutsu always took a lot out of her. The two grass nins stood in wonder at what they had just seen. Takara stood up straighter and relaxed her shoulders as her body tried to adjust to the weight of the wings.

She smiled slightly as she stretched out one of her wings and swung it forward. A powerful gust of wind shot forward at the shinobi.

They jumped out of the way and the gust of wind sliced through a tree. Takara continued to move her wings through the air and send slicing wind through the clearing at the two grass-nins. They dodged right and left, but Takara could tell they were getting tired and starting to run out of steam.

Takara swiped her wing threw the air and a gust of wind knocked into the leader nin and sent him reeling backward. He flipped through the air and crashed through tree branches, finally smashing into one and falling to the ground twenty feet away.

The last nin stood in the clearing facing Takara and Shin. He was breathing heavily and had his hands fisted at his sides. He looked back and forth between Takara and Shin waiting for one of them to make a move.

"Shin," said Takara. "I don't know about you, but this is taking too long. I'm running low on chakra and we're so close to the tower. If we make a distraction, I bet we can outrun this last one."

"You're right, Takara," he said. "This has gone on long enough."

The grass-nin stood waiting. Takara reached behind her into her pouch and pulled out 3 small bombs. She threw them at the ground and the clearing was filled with smoke. Takara and Shin immediately turned around and started running through the trees. They didn't even look back into the clearing.

Takara made the release sign and her wings disappeared in the wind. They raced through the trees until suddenly, out of her peripheral vision, Takara saw Shin suddenly drop out of sight.

"Takara!"

Takara stopped on her branch and spun around. She saw Shin being pulled into the trees by vines. She grabbed shuriken out of her pouch and threw them at the vines wrapping themselves around Shin, but there were too many.

The lingering grass-nin jumped down from the tree and landed next to Takara. He threw a punch at her, but she ducked out of the way. She swung her leg at his feet, but he jumped out of the way and kicked her right in the face. Takara flew backwards and landed hard on the branch.

"Takara, don't worry about me! Just run!" yelled Shin.

The vines were snaking themselves around his body. They covered his whole body and were slowly beginning to cover his face.

"No, Shin! I'm not leaving you behind!" cried Takara hunched over on the branch.

Takara jumped up and charged at her enemy and kicked at his head, he ducked and grabbed her leg, throwing her into the tree. She turned in midair and pushed herself off the tree trunk and tackled the shinobi to the branch. He kicked her body off him and she landed on her feet several feet away.

Takara turned back around and threw shuriken at him. He ducked out of the way and they sunk into the tree, but in the mean time Takara ran at him and kicked him hard in the chest. He was sent flying back and he landed against the tree trunk. Once he hit the tree he disappeared in a puff of smoke and a small log took his place.

"Substitution," hissed Takara, looking around for the real one.

"You should have done what your friend said," taunted the grass-nin.

Takara felt herself flip upside down as she was caught in the vines as well. They quickly wrapped themselves around her body and she felt them beginning to get tighter and tighter. The grass-nin jumped down from above and landed on the branch Takara was just on. Takara hung upside down as the ninja walked toward her. Her hair was hanging around her face and she was glaring at the grass-nin with her teeth clenched.

The grass-nin chuckled at the expression she was giving him.

"I would advise you to cooperate with me," he said. "I can make these vines crush you in a second. You're friend over there is mere minutes away from suffocation."

Takara gasped and looked at Shin with wide, yellow eyes. His whole body, head to toe, was covered in the vines. There was no movement coming from where he hung. Takara's heart beat fast at the thought of her friend's life in immediate peril.

"What I want," said the grass-nin now directly in front of Takara's face. "Is for you to give me the Earth scroll you carry."

Takara closed her eyes to the sight of Shin and turned her head to face the grass-nin. Her face was becoming flushed from the blood rushing to her head.

"Over my dead body!" she cried.

Takara opened her eyes suddenly and the grass-nin was caught in her Hirakengan's Paralysis Technique. Her yellow eyes grew wide and a small diamond-shaped pupil appeared in the center of her eye. The ninja's whole body began to go numb and his limbs began to freeze. He couldn't move his fingers or control the vines that were still wrapped around Takara and Shin. The vines were now frozen in place and were no longer squeezing tightly on Takara's body.

Takara had to move quickly before the effects of her Hirakengan wore off and the ninja was able to move again. She whistled and Kin flew from out of the trees.

_What do you need me to do, Takara?_ Kin asked.

"Quick, grab one of those shuriken in the tree and use it to cut these vines," said Takara.

Kin flew over to the tree trunk and grabbed one of the shuriken with her talons. She flew over to Takara and slashed the vines. Takara fell onto the branch on all fours and coughed as she tried to catch her breath. She stood up and looked at the grass-nin, still paralyzed by her Hirakengan.

Takara walked up to him and slammed the side of her flattened hand into the crook of his neck where it met his shoulder. His eyes widened for a second before they closed and he blacked out. His body slumped and fell backwards onto the tree branch.

_Takara, hurry and get Shin!_ Kin cried.

Takara rushed over to the vine covered body. She grabbed the shuriken that Kin tossed to her and used it to slice the vines open. Shin's body slowly fell out of the coffin like vines and Takara grabbed him. She set him down on the branch. He was unconscious and she couldn't see any signs of life.

Fighting against tears and trying to keep herself from panicking, she put her head to his chest and tried to listen for a heartbeat. She kept her head pressed against his chest for several seconds. It felt like an eternity until finally she heard a small thump-thump.

Takara sat up quickly and looked at Kin.

"He's alive! But barely. We have to get him to the tower immediately. You know the way, right, Kin?"

_Just follow me,_ said Kin.

Takara put Shin's body on her back and carried him as she followed Kin. Shin had been left so long without air, his muscles and organs were beginning to shut down and if Takara didn't get medical help fast she was going to lose the only teammate she had left.

Takara fought against the doubt and the fear that began seeping into her mind. Shin was going to be okay. He just had to be.

Takara thought back to Dou and how much fun they had all had together working as a team. A picture of his bloodied body sprang into her mind, but she pushed it away.

"No, I won't let you die, Shin!"

Takara increased her speed as she raced towards to the tower. She was lucky to not run into anymore genin teams on her way to the building. She raced up to the doors and shoved her shoulder against it. The doors opened wide and Takara raced inside and looked around.

The room was completely empty. There was silence as Takara hurried to the center of the room with Shin on her back.

"Help! I need a medic-nin right away!" she called.

There was no reply. The room remained empty and silent with only Takara's hard breathing being heard. Takara looked around before she glanced up at the sign on the wall. It was talking about Heaven and Earth. It must being talking about the scrolls.

Takara set Shin's body on the ground. He was breathing still, but only small, barely there breaths with long intervals in between. Takara had to hurry fast if she was going to find help for Shin. As she knelt next to Shin's body she pulled the two scrolls out of her pouch and held them both in her left hand. With her right hand Takara pulled the scrolls open together and waited for something to happen.

She could see the center of the scrolls start to lift and begin to smoke. Takara threw the scrolls away from herself and she watched as a person rose from the scrolls and appeared fully in a cloud of smoke. As the smoke cleared it revealed the last person that Takara wanted to see right now, Dan Ito.

Dan was smiling widely at her with his eyes closed. He obviously hadn't seen his little brother lying on the floor yet. Takara felt herself grow cold. Dan was going to see Shin and blame Takara for this. His little brother was like this because his teammate wasn't quick enough, or strong enough. Takara fought to keep her face still, but Dan was standing there smiling like an idiot as if she and Shin had just passed the second exam.

Takara gasped for air as her emotions began to spiral out of control. Dan blinked and saw Takara kneeling next to Shin's body. She had her arms wrapped around herself and she was crying over his body. Dan ran over to them and knelt down next to his brother's body. His face was wide and white with shock. He looked his brother's body over and wasn't reassured when he didn't see Shin's chest rising and falling with a sign of breathing.

"Dan," said Takara. "Please do something. I don't know how to save him."

Takara cried harder and Dan watched. He reached over and felt his brother's neck for a pulse. He held his hand there for minutes before finally pulling it away. He closed his eyes and curled his hands into fists as his face scrunched with pain. Takara looked up at Dan to see his eyes begin to water.

"Dan," whispered Takara.

Dan opened his eyes and looked at her. Anguish poured out of his eyes as the truth shone in their dark depths. Takara tried to control herself, to keep the last of her resolve, but the pain was too much for her to bear. Takara threw herself on top of Shin's chest and cried on top of him.

What was she going to do now? She was alone. She had no more teammates. Dou and Shin had both been maliciously taken from her, the two closest people in her life were now gone. Dou, ever the jokester, and Shin, the resolved leader, were no longer here for her. Takara cried harder into Shin's chest as the excruciating pain coursed through her body.

She couldn't describe it. This feeling like every cell in her body was crying out in agony. Takara couldn't stop. She didn't know how else to ease the pain but to cry harder and harder. She sobbed louder as time went on because the hurt didn't seem to get any easier.

Takara felt arms reach and envelope themselves around her. Dan's head came to rest on her shoulder and she could hear, very softly, Dan's short breathing as he silently shed his grief.

Takara stopped her loud sobbing as she felt Dan's embrace close tightly over her. Did this mean that he didn't blame her? Takara bit her lip as she remembered Shin's words on the bridge a few days ago.

**"Don't make excuses for yourself. We all lost Dou, not just you. You don't see me or Ryuuna-sensei blaming you for Dou's death, so why should you? Become stronger, Takara, so you don't go through this again." **

Takara put her face into Dan's shoulder and closed her eyes. She had tried to become stronger; she thought she had. What else could she possibly have done to prevent this from happening again? How many times was she going to be forced to watch her teammates die?

"Takara."

Dan lifted his body back into a sitting position. His eyes were swollen and looked dull compared their usual shining depths. Takara kept her body on top of Shin, wanting to feel close to him even in these last moments, and looked up at Dan.

"Shin told me about what you went through after you two lost your friend Dou," said Dan.

Takara looked down at Shin's face. It was pale, ghostly pale, and he was so still. He had been so worried about her when they had gotten back to Konoha after that mission.

"I want you to know," said Dan putting his hand on her arm making her look back at him. "I don't blame you for this."

Takara gasped. How had he known that those were the words she needed to hear the most right now? When everything felt as if it was because of something she'd done, she needed the reassurance from others that they still believed in her.

Takara nodded at Dan as her bottom lip began to tremble as she felt the tears begin to form again. She closed her eyes to try to keep them back but it didn't work. They streamed down the sides of her face and into Shin's shirt.

"I can't go through this again, Dan," she gasped out. "There must be something I can do to prevent this from happening."

Takara gasped as the idea hit her. How she could she never had considered this before?

"Dan, I know what I need to do," she said. "I'm going to become a medic-nin."

Dan sat there and watched Takara. He was grieving so much over his brother. He'd had such high hopes for these two. They were so strong together he was sure they would pass without any major problems. Dan would never have guessed this would have happened. Now Takara was staring at him waiting for him to say something. A medic-nin?

"It's very hard, Takara," said Dan softly, his voice horse with emotion.

"I don't care!" she shouted making Dan look at her. "Nothing could be harder than this. I won't let another person die right in front of me!"

She stared at Dan, her cheeks shining and her yellow eyes fierce with determination. How could she not have thought about this before? Especially after Dou died, this should have been the first thing Takara would want to do. Now it was too late to save her other teammate, but she wouldn't let anyone of her future comrades die.

She'd learn to heal them, to save them.

***

Takara stood in the grand room as she waited for the other genin teams to line up. She had already seen Ryuuna-sensei and the Hokage and decided that even though she had passed the second exam, she would withdraw from the exams. She didn't have the strength or the heart to continue. Ryuuna and the Hokage had told her that they needed to make it official and she needed to withdraw at the preliminaries.

Takara took a deep breath as she saw TenTen with her two teammates Neji and Lee. They all looked to be okay. Then Takara saw Hinata standing behind Kiba who had a smug look on his face even though he looked like he had been drug through an alley. Takara was glad that Hinata had made it through. In fact, now that she noticed, all the rookies had made it passed the second exam. All except one.

Takara heaved a sigh. Hopefully no one would say anything to her. Takara saw Kiba's fuzzy black hood as he walked up and stood next to her. Takara looked behind her and saw Hinata. Hinata gave her a small wave, which Takara returned half-heartedly. Kiba leaned over to her and smiled like an idiot.

"Hey, Takara," he said arrogantly. "Looks like you had a rough time out there."

Takara didn't say anything. Right now she didn't even have the heart to bicker with her childhood rival. That didn't stop Kiba though.

"Yeah, we got here on the third day," he said putting his arms up and his hands behind his head. "Pretty impressive, huh?"

Takara clenched her fists. Kiba was so annoying. All she wanted to do was run as far away as possible and here he was acing like a hot shot. If he said one more thing she was going to deck him in the face.

Kiba leaned over again with his hands still behind his head. Hinata was watching him to make sure that he didn't bug Takara. Of course Kiba rarely listened to anything Hinata said. He snickered at Takara.

"And where's your friend?" he asked. "Jin, or Ping, or whatever."

"It's Shin," said Takara, her voice deadly calm. "And … he's dead."

Kiba's face turned to shock as he stared at Takara. Her body was shaking, but she managed to keep from crying and lashing out in hurt at Kiba. She looked at him with hurt and frustration in her eyes. He had no idea what she was going through.

Takara turned forward and Anko and the Hokage began talking about the Third exam and the preliminaries that would take place. Kiba would glance over at her every now and then, but Takara ignored him. The faster she got out of this place the better off she would be. Hayate Gekkou came forward and began explaining the preliminaries, but Takara hardly paid attention. What was the point? She wasn't going to participate anyway.

"If you would like to withdraw, please let me know now," said Hayate with a cough.

This was her time. Takara's hand shook and she lifted it slowly. Before she could raise it above her shoulder though, Kiba's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. He brought his face close to hers and looked her in the eyes.

"Don't quit, Takara," he said. "I won't let my rival chicken out."

"I'm not chickening out, Kiba," said Takara with her eyes closed as she tried to stay calm. She barely had the energy to talk to Kiba, how would she ever be able to fight someone?

Takara opened her eyes and looked at Kiba. His face was serious and for once Takara could see him as a genuine guy, not some arrogant rival she's had since she was eight.

"I'm not in any condition to fight," she said, almost pleadingly. "Try and understand how I feel."

Kiba's eyebrows scrunched together and he looked like he was going to turn back around and ignore they ever had this talk, but he stood there, holding her wrist still and looking at her with a bewildered face. Takara was somewhat touched by the way he cared so much, even if it was just in a rivalry sense.

Kiba closed his eyes and nodded his head. He let go of her wrist and let his hand fall to his side. Takara stayed frozen and looked at him. She lifted her hand tentatively and held it high. Hayate riffled through the papers he had on his clip board and coughed.

"Takara Nishimura," he said. "You are excused from the exams."

Takara nodded and let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. She dropped her hand and began to turn away. She stopped mid-turn and looked at Kiba. His face was hard and his mouth was set in a firm line. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Thank you, Kiba," said Takara. "For understanding. Don't forget, you're my rival, too. I expect you to advance."

Takara turned and walked away, leaving Kiba to stare silently after her.

***

Preview Ch 6:

"Hinata," she said when she had reached them. "Are you going out to train?"

"Tch, no we're taking a stroll," said Kiba sarcastically.

Takara gave him a glare and held back the urge to punch him. He could be so stupid sometimes. Takara ignored his comment and looked at Hinata, urging her to reply.

"Y-Yes. We're going to work on team training," she said softly.

Takara nodded. "We all know Kiba thinks he's too cool to work as a team. He's so tough he can do anything on his own!" said Takara, making the last sentence heavy with sarcasm.

Kiba growled. "And like you know what working as a team means, Miss. Solo."

Takara felt her heart skip a beat at his comment about her old teammates. She glared at him and clenched her fist.

"That was a low blow, Kiba," she shouted as she held up a fist.

***


	7. Ch 6: The Necklace

Animal Instincts

Animal Instincts

Chapter 6: One Woman Team; The Necklace

Recap:

"I'm not in any condition to fight," she said, almost pleadingly. "Try and understand how I feel."

Kiba's eyebrows scrunched together and he looked like he was going to turn back around and ignore they ever had this talk, but he stood there, holding her wrist still and looking at her with a bewildered face. Takara was somewhat touched by the way he cared so much, even if it was just in a rivalry sense.

Kiba closed his eyes and nodded his head. He let go of her wrist and let his hand fall to his side. Takara stayed frozen and looked at him. She lifted her hand tentatively and held it high. Hayate riffled through the papers he had on his clip board and coughed.

"Takara Nishimura," he said. "You are excused from the exams."

Takara nodded and let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. She dropped her hand and began to turn away. She stopped mid-turn and looked at Kiba. His face was hard and his mouth was set in a firm line. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Thank you, Kiba," said Takara. "For understanding. Don't forget, you're my rival, too. I expect you to advance."

Takara turned and walked away, leaving Kiba to stare silently after her.

***

2 ½ years later:

Takara crouched low on the tree branch and hid behind the leaves. She peeked over the top of the leaves at the two thieves sitting in the clearing. They were sorting through all the stuff they had just stolen. One was a tall, skinny man who looked like he hadn't eaten in days he was so thin. The other was shorter and stocky.

Takara shifted on the branch to get a better look at them. They didn't seem like they were dangerous. They looked like amateurs to be truthful.

_How do you want to do this, Takara?_ Kin asked from her shoulder.

"This isn't going to be hard," Takara whispered. She told Kin the plan and Kin nodded in confirmation.

"Ready?" asked Takara.

Kin nodded and Takara stood up on the branch. The two thieves didn't even notice her. She put her hands on her hips as she looked down at them.

Kin flew off Takara's shoulder and down into the clearing where she began screeching and pulling at their clothes. The thieves got up and tried batting her away with theirs hands, but Kin would just scratch them with her talons.

"Get off, you crazy bird!" cried the skinny man.

As Kin distracted them, Takara jumped down from the tree and ran up behind the two men.

She grabbed the skinny one by the collar and pulled him backward. He landed on the ground with a thud getting his partner's attention. When the stocky man turned to see what happened to his friend Takara punched him hard in the face. He flew backward and landed on the ground in a cloud of dust.

The skinny man came up behind Takara and grabbed her from behind. Takara reached up and grabbed his arm. She flipped him over her shoulder and he landed on top of his friend. Takara stood with her hands on her hips as the two men clambered to their feet.

"What's the big idea?" asked the short one.

"I do believe that none of this stuff belongs to you, right?" asked Takara with a smirk.

"You have no proof!" cried the skinny man.

"I have plenty of proof and eye witnesses. Now are you going to come quietly or are you going to make me get rough?"

The two glared at her and had their fists up.

"I won't be taken that easily!" said the short man as he charged at Takara.

"It'll be easier then you think!" cried Takara as tiny veins began to feather across her temples. "Hirakengan!"

As the thief charged at her Takara stood ready. The stocky man brought back his fists, but before he could land his punch Takara punched him under the chin shooting him upwards. Takara jumped into the air after him, flipped in the air and brought her foot down on his stomach. The thief fell onto the ground hard creating a cloud of dust. When the dust cleared away he lay there unconscious.

Takara landed on the ground in a kneeling position. The other thief stood in fear as he watched her stand slowly.

"One down, one to go," she said.

In a second she had moved from where she stood and then appeared behind the skinny thief. His eyes widened as Takara jabbed the side her flattened hand into the crook of his neck. His eyes closed and he slumped to the floor, unconscious.

Takara took a deep breath before grabbing the two thieves and dragging them over to where they were examining their goods. Takara tied them both up before looking at the things laid out on the canvas blanket. There was jewelry and watches, wallets and coats.

Takara saw that the thieves had dropped some things when Kin had surprised them. She walked around picking up the different items scattered on the ground. She thought she had gotten everything when a small glint caught her eye at the very edge of the clearing.

Takara walked over and picked up a necklace. It was a simple jewel, thin and long on a fine gold chain. It was a pretty yellow color and it sparkled in her hand. Takara put it in her pouch for safe keeping before walking back to the two thieves.

She wrapped up the other goods in the canvas sheet and threw it over her shoulder. She grabbed the rope that was tied to both of the men and began her trip back to Konoha.

***

"Good work, Takara," said Tsunade looking at the items recovered from the two thieves. "I was confident you could take care of this on your own."

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade," said Takara.

She stood in the Hokage's office and had just given Tsunade a report on her mission. The two thieves had been put into custody and were awaiting punishment. Now all that was left to do was send out a notice to those who had been robbed to come and retrieve their things. Takara bit her bottom lip as she thought about the necklace that she had found. For some reason she had become very attached to it on her way back.

She had pulled it out to look at it on her way back and loved the way it sparkled. She wanted to keep it for herself but she knew that it had to belong to someone else. If she took it she would be no better then the two men that she had just caught.

Takara stepped forward and reached into her pouch. She drew out the necklace and held it out for Tsunade. Tsunade took the necklace and looked at it.

"I found it a few feet away from where I caught the thieves," said Takara. "It probably was something they took."

Tsunade nodded. She glanced up at Takara and then back at the necklace. She set the necklace aside and stood up.

"Lady Tsunade, may I ask a favor?" Takara asked.

"You want the necklace," said Tsunade as she put her hands on her back and leaned back in a stretch.

Takara's cheeks turned a little pink. "Well, if no one claims it, perhaps I could petition for it?"

Tsunade let out a laugh as she straightened. "Petition? We don't care about that kind of stuff. If you want it and no one claims it in two weeks then you can have it."

Takara smiled. She bowed to Tsunade and then left the room.

***

Takara walked across the bridge as she headed toward the training fields. Her new necklace was swinging around her neck. She couldn't believe no one had claimed it. She held the stone in her hand and watched the sun beams make it shine.

"Takara!"

Takara closed her hand over the necklace as she looked up to see who had called her name. It was Hinata. She was walking with Shino and Kiba. Takara waved and ran over to meet them, her red cloak flapping behind her.

"Hinata," she said when she had reached them. "Are you going out to train?"

"Tch, no we're taking a stroll," said Kiba sarcastically.

Takara gave him a glare and held back the urge to punch him. He could be so stupid sometimes. Takara ignored his comment and looked at Hinata, urging her to reply.

"Y-Yes. We're going to work on team training," she said softly. "Kurenai says that's where we've been lacking lately."

Takara nodded. "We all know Kiba thinks he's too cool to work as a team. He's so tough he can do anything on his own!" said Takara, making the last sentence heavy with sarcasm.

Kiba growled. "And like you know what working as a team means, Miss. Solo."

Takara felt her heart skip a beat at his comment about her old team. She glared at him and clenched her fist.

"That's it! You went to far that time, Kiba," she shouted as she held up a fist. "Besides, I work on teams all the time."

"Yeah? Like when?" said Kiba as he crossed his arms.

Takara calmed down and thought hard. It had been a while since she had gone on a mission with a team. But she knew she had done plenty. Lady Tsunade just tended to give her solo missions.

"I went with Sakura on a medic-nin mission last month," said Takara. She stuck her tongue out at Kiba.

"That hardly counts," said Kiba as he waved his hand in the air as if to brush away her statement.

"What?! It does too count!" said Takara holding up her fists again. She wanted so badly to clobber Kiba right now.

"I think," said Shino out of no where. "That we should get to the training field before we make Kurenai wait any longer."

Hinata nodded and blushed slightly. "Shino has a point."

"Heh, alright. Later, loser," he said to Takara before putting his hands behind his head and walking away.

Takara growled at him as he left.

"You let him bug you too much," said Shino before following Kiba to the training.

"I do not," said Takara, more to herself then anyone else.

Hinata smiled and said good-bye and followed her teammates. Takara turned around and started walking back to her training area. Her heart was beating faster as she speed walked to her area. Kiba got her so aggravated sometimes. What was his problem?

_Shino's right, Takara_, said Kin. _You let Kiba get under your skin._

"I do not," Takara snapped. "It's just; he's so … stupid sometimes!"

_You're doing it again._

Takara ignored her and kept walking. She reached the training field and set down her cloak and bag. Kin flew on top of the wooden pole that was in the middle of the field. Takara set up targets on the trees that surrounded the clearing. She went back into the center of the field and stood with her legs wide in a ready stance.

Takara brought her hands together in one sign and closed her eyes in concentration. In the next second golden wings formed on her back. [In Ch 5 when she used this technique against the grass nin, it had taken more hand signs and it took longer for the wings to form.]

_You're getting better at that,_ said Kin.

Takara only nodded before spreading out the wings and lifting herself off the ground. She kept her body in the air as she pulled out shuriken. Takara rapidly threw the shuriken at the targets, all but one hitting dead center. Takara furrowed her eyebrows. She pulled on the string connected to the shuriken and they all came back.

She threw the shuriken over and over again until she consistently hit every target in the center. Takara put away the shuriken as she stayed in mid air. She took a deep breath as she flew over to three targets that were spaced equally apart.

Takara concentrated before swiping her wings through the air, sending concentrated gusts of wind at the targets. She hit the middle target in the center but the two outside targets were only clipped. Takara gritted her teeth. It was so much harder to hit a target when she was trying to stay in flight. On the ground she could hit all three dead center with no problem, but it was a different story when she had to stay in the air.

It'd be nice to have someone here to tell her what she was doing wrong. Ryuuna-sensei was on missions all the time. They rarely worked together anymore since Takara was so engrossed in medic-training. Takara was studying under Shizune since Sakura was Tsunade's pupil. Shizune taught her a lot about using chakra to heal injuries, but she was also teaching Takara how to perform surgeries when medical ninjutsu couldn't be used. Takara had fainted the first time she had seen Shizune perform a surgery, but now she had the hang of it.

Takara tried again to hit the targets with her wind currents. She hit the middle in the center and got the other two closer this time. Takara took a deep breath. She usually didn't have to work so hard to control the wind currents. What was different?

_Your wind currents are looking a lot stronger, Takara,_ said Kin as she flew over to her.

"Really?" said Takara. "I thought I felt something was different. I'm having trouble controlling them right now, maybe that's why."

_It's weird though. Every time you use your wind current that new necklace of yours glows._

Takara looked down at the necklace. It was still glowing dully on her chest.

"Weird," she said as she held the necklace. "Maybe it's like the one Naruto got from Lady Tsunade. The one she inherited from the First Hokage. It reacts to certain chakra. Maybe my necklace is reacting to my chakra?"

_It sounds plausible._

Takara went back to her training and she could see a difference in her wind element jutsus. The necklace seemed to be reacting to any wind based attacks. Takara looked down at her necklace with more appreciation for it then she had before.

As the day went by Takara continued to train until all she had left was her taijutsu exercises. Takara worked in the middle of the field with the wooden beam. She was getting tired no from having been here for nearly six hours.

Takara kicked the wooden beam with her left leg as she tried to stay balanced one her right. She kicked it repeatedly as hard as she could before finally getting tired and putting her leg down. Takara bent over and put her hands on her knees as she caught her breath.

_Think you over did it?_

Takara looked at her hawk Kin who was sitting on top of the pole. She peered at Takara through her yellow eyes as she tilted her head to the side. Takara smiled and look at Kin through her bangs with her own pair of yellow eyes.

"Of course not," she said. "I'm just getting warmed up."

Takara stood up and got into a fighting stance. She began to kick the pole in recession with her right leg. Kin continued to watch and would occasionally look off somewhere else.

Takara's leg was beginning to burn from the exertion of repeatedly kicking the pole. She gave one last kick and held her leg in that position before slowing putting it back on the ground.

She looked around the clearing, this uneasy feeling settling in the pit of her stomach and was about to begin the exercise again when Takara saw the smallest flicker of metal in the trees. She narrowed her eyes, tiny veins stretching across her temples. She could now she the object clearly.

It was a headband. The ninja wearing it had blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail and bangs that covered the right side of his face. It was hard to tell but the headband showed he was from the Village Hidden in the Rocks.

[If you guys read the Prologue you should remember this scene.]

***

Preview Ch 7:

"Akamaru!" Takara called cupping her mouth with her hands.

Akamaru's ear pricked and he turned around as well as Kiba and Hinata. Takara waved and the dog ran over to the building.

"Oi, Akamaru!" called Kiba as he ran after him.

Akamaru slid to a stop underneath where Takara was standing. Takara looked down at him with a smile.

"What are you doing!"

Takara looked over her shoulder and saw the nurse standing in the doorway looking at her. She turned back around and jumped off the roof as the nurse began shouting for the guards. Takara landed on Akamaru's back just as Kiba made it to them.

"What are you doing!" he growled.

"Leaving," she said. "Get on!"

***


	8. Ch 7: After the Ambush

Animal Instincts

Animal Instincts

Chapter 7: After The Attack

Recap:

_Think you over did it?_

Takara looked at her hawk Kin who was sitting on top of the pole. She peered at Takara through her yellow eyes as she tilted her head to the side. Takara smiled and look at Kin through her bangs with her own pair of yellow eyes.

"Of course not," she said. "I'm just getting warmed up."

Takara stood up and got into a fighting stance. She began to kick the pole in recession with her right leg. Kin continued to watch and would occasionally look off somewhere else.

Takara's leg was beginning to burn from the exertion of repeatedly kicking the pole. She gave one last kick and held her leg in that position before slowing putting it back on the ground.

She looked around the clearing, this uneasy feeling settling in the pit of her stomach and was about to begin the exercise again when Takara saw the smallest flicker of metal in the trees. She narrowed her eyes, tiny veins stretching across her temples. She could now she the object clearly.

It was a headband. The ninja wearing it had blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail and bangs that covered the right side of his face. It was hard to tell but the headband showed he was from the Village Hidden in the Rocks.

***

Takara lay in a bed at the ninja infirmary. She had her eyes closed as she began to wake up. Her whole body felt so sore and she had a pounding headache. Takara squinted her eyes before opening one slowly. She looked around her room, but saw no one; not even Kin was in the room. Her blinds were closed but a little light filtered through the cracks onto the floor.

Takara tried to move, but her muscles protested. Every part of her body felt so sore she could hardly move. Takara gritted her teeth as she pushed her body up into a sitting position even though her muscles screamed in objection.

She took a few deep breaths as she looked around again. Why was she in the infirmary? Takara thought hard as she tried to remember what could have happened. The last thing she remembered was talking to Hinata, Shino and Kiba before going to train. She thought harder, remembering getting to the training field and right before she was going to finish …

Takara gasped as she reached up to her chest. She grabbed the small stone on her necklace and let out a sigh of relief. That was right. Those two men from the Akatsuki had come to take her necklace from her. But why? What was so important about her necklace? Takara opened her hand and stared at the sparkling stone. It did act strangely when she was training. Did it carry a special power?

Takara leaned back against the wall, tired of being in her sitting position. She didn't know too much about the Akatsuki, but she knew that each member was registered as an S-Class criminal. Why would they be interested in her or her necklace? She couldn't stop coming back to this question. No one had told her what the Akatsuki's mission was except that they were dangerous and not to be trusted.

"Agh," groaned Takara. All this thinking was making her headache worse.

Takara looked over at the window and tried to see outside through the slits in the blinds. She could tell it was day light, but she couldn't see where the sun was or what was going on outside. Takara looked around the room for a clock, but couldn't find one. What kind of idiot didn't put a clock in a patient's room?

Takara looked down at her hands. They had bandages on them and her arm was bandaged and she had wrappings all over her torso. She touched her head and felt bandages around her head like a headband. Someone had given her loose black pants to wear as she recovered instead of her shorts and skirt. Takara saw her normal clothes folded neatly on a chair across the room.

Takara hated being in this place, at least, she hated being the patient. She loved to work here, but she hated the way the other medics would fuss over her. She knew how to take care of herself, there was no reason for them to hover over her.

Takara slid her legs across the bed and over the side. She was going to get her clothes and try to make a run for it. She needed to get to Lady Tsunade and tell her what happened. How much time had gone by since she'd been attacked? Were the Akatsuki going to try and ambush her again? Takara didn't have time to wait and find out.

She put her feet on the cold floor as her legs began to loosen up a bit. The more she moved the easier it got on her muscles. She lifted her body off the bed and steadied herself as she tried to stand. Takara took a couple steps across the room before someone knocked on the door and opened it.

Takara froze in her place knowing that she was now caught before she even got the chance to make a break for it. Takara watched as the door slowly opened. There, standing in the doorway, was … Kiba?

Kiba took a few steps into the room before looking up. He stared at Takara who stared back at him. He looked at her up and down before raising an eyebrow. Takara blushed slightly knowing that she was only barely covered and her hair must be a complete mess and she probably needed a shower. She covered her chest with her arms and looked at Kiba.

"What are you doing here?" she asked trying to be calm and not seem embarrassed by her appearance.

Kiba frowned at her before saying, "I'm looking for Hinata. She said she was gonna be here."

"Oh. I just woke up and no one was here," Takara said relaxing a little.

Kiba nodded and looked her over once again. [Not in a pervy way!] He looked her in the eyes again and held her gaze. Takara didn't like how he was acting; it wasn't like Kiba to be so quiet.

"You look … better," he said finally.

Takara blushed. How could he possibly think she looked better? She probably looked like a wild woman.

"Oh, thank you," she mumbled.

It was awkward. Why was he acting like this? Why was she acting like this? Takara looked away from Kiba and spotted her clothes still on the chair. She stood up straighter and walked over to the chair, making sure to keep her arms over her chest.

"Kiba," she said in a hushed voice. "Close the door, quick."

Kiba furrowed his eyebrows at her weird behavior, but did as she asked. He watched her make her way over to her clothes and pick them up.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Takara turned toward him with her clothes in her arms. "I'm springing this place," she said.

"You can't leave without clearance," said Kiba taking a few steps toward her.

"Who are you, the patient police? I'm a medic and I know when I feel fine enough to go home. Besides, these people here always make a big deal whenever a medic-nin gets injured as if we don't know how to take care of ourselves. I will go crazy if they try to take care of me. Now, if you would please turn around so I can change, then we can get out of here."

Kiba blushed at her last sentence and stuttered, "W-we? Why am I going with you?"

"Because I don't know what they did with my shoes and I don't feel like running through the streets barefoot. Now turn around."

Kiba growled and did what she said. How was he getting pulled into this? All he had done was come to find Hinata because they were supposed to go train and now he was helping Takara break out of the infirmary. If they got caught, they'd be in so much trouble. He could hear Takara removing her hospital clothes and tensed a little.

Kiba's face turned a little more red at the thought of his rival standing behind him with no clothes on. Sure, he'd done this before on missions with Kurenai and Hinata, but that was different. He was comfortable with them and had been doing it for years. This was way different for some reason. Kiba felt his throat get tight and tried to loosen it by clearing his throat, but that didn't work.

Kiba looked around the room to try and occupy his mind when his gaze landed on the mirror on the wall. He could see Takara standing with her back to him. She had on her shorts and skirt, but was now removing the last of her wrappings from her torso. Her bare back and creamy shoulders were completely exposed.

Kiba's face turned as red as his markings and he closed his eyes tight. Kiba stayed standing with his eyes closed and his body rigid. This was so not normal! Kiba was trying so hard to keep his mind occupied that he didn't hear when Takara said his name. She came over and touched him on the shoulder. Kiba jumped back at her touch, his face only slightly pink now.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

Kiba cleared his throat again before saying gruffly, "Yeah, let's get out of here."

Just as they made their way to the door it opened and they both froze, thinking they were caught. They let out a sigh of relief when they saw it was Hinata.

"Takara," she said softly. "You're awake!"

Takara smiled at her friend. "Yeah."

Hinata's smiled disappeared when she noticed Takara was wearing her normal clothes. "Why aren't you in bed? You should be resting."

Takara and Kiba both tensed and looked at each other. Takara laughed nervously.

"Well, I'm trying to leave, actually," she said not looking Hinata in the eyes.

"What?" Hinata asked. "But you can't. You don't have any clearance."

"That what I told her!" said Kiba in a half growl.

"Shut it, dog breath," said Takara.

"Do you want my help or not," said Kiba glaring at her.

Takara glared back. Hinata looked between them nervously.

"What's going on in here?"

They all turned toward the door to see an overweight female nurse standing in the doorway holding Takara's shoes. Takara gritted her teeth in frustration. Now they were really caught.

Kiba stood silently as Hinata blushed a little and stammered, "Oh, we were just checking in on T-Takara."

"She doesn't have clearance to be walking around and having so many visitors," said the nurse. "You two need to get out and let her rest."

"But I feel fine," Takara protested.

"That's not for you to decide," said the nurse as she ushered the other two out.

She shut the door behind them and then turned to Takara.

"You should be in bed," she said as she pointed to the bed.

"Really," said Takara. "I'm fine. My temperature is normal, my vitals are fine. The only thing is I'm sore, but if someone would get new mattresses for this place …"

"I said sit down and wait," said the nurse. "There will be a guard at the door to make sure you don't leave."

Takara sat on the bed with a huff and watched as the nurse set her boots down on the bed and left the room. Takara sat with her arms crossed and looked around the room once more. Takara saw the window and got an idea. She grabbed her boots and pulled them on, buckling the straps on the sides. She raced to the window and pulled open the blinds.

Light flooded into the room. Takara opened the window and looked out. She saw Hinata and Kiba walking by the building as they were leaving, Akamaru trailing behind Kiba. She crawled out the window and onto the roof.

"Akamaru!" Takara called cupping her mouth with her hands.

Akamaru's ear pricked and he turned around as well as Kiba and Hinata. Takara waved and the dog ran over to the building.

"Oi, Akamaru!" called Kiba as he ran after him.

Akamaru slid to a stop underneath where Takara was standing. Takara looked down at him with a smile.

"What are you doing!"

Takara looked over her shoulder and saw the nurse standing in the doorway looking at her. She turned back around and jumped off the roof as the nurse began shouting for the guards. Takara landed on Akamaru's back just as Kiba made it to them.

"What are you doing!" he growled.

"Leaving," she said. "Get on!"

Takara yanked Kiba onto Akamaru as they took off down the road.

***

"Takara, how many times do I have to tell you to stop running away when you're in the infirmary?"

Tsunade sat at her desk with her hand on her forehead in frustration. Takara had come straight over to speak with her from the infirmary.

"You're there for a reason," said Tsunade giving Takara an exasperated look.

"I know, I know," said Takara holding her hands up. "But this is important. Don't you want to know what happened to me?"

"You were attacked by two people from the Akatsuki who are no longer anywhere near the village," Tsunade said coolly.

"Well, yeah, but how did you know?"

"When Kiba brought you into the infirmary you kept mumbling about two men wearing black cloaks with red clouds. We figured they were the men that attacked you and I had ANBU search the surroundings but they weren't found."

Takara nodded then furrowed her eyebrows at Tsunade. "Wait, Kiba brought me? I was no where near Kiba when I blacked out."

Tsunade stared at her for a moment before answering, "No, but Hinata Hyuga was and apparently Kiba came soon after she found you. He was able to carry you to the infirmary where you've been since sundown yesterday."

"Oh," said Takara.

"Now, there are some questions I would like to ask you," said Tsunade leaning against the desk.

Takara nodded her head and straightened up.

"First, who were these two men?"

"One was named Deidara, he had long blonde hair," said Takara. "The other, I didn't get his name, but he was wearing an orange mask with a hole over his right eye."

Tsunade nodded as Shizune stood to the side writing everything down.

"What did they want?"

Takara hesitated. She reached up and touched the stone on her necklace. She'd only had it for a day or two. She knew once she told Tsunade that she'd take it back for her safety. Takara sighed.

"They wanted … my necklace," she said finally.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at the unexpected answer. She put her fingertips against her forehead as she closed her eyes and sighed.

"I don't know what the Akatsuki is planning, but they are moving fast," she said. "First the capture of the Kazekage and now an attack on Konoha. Things are really starting to get complicated."

Takara stood there waiting for Tsunade to say something to her. She was beginning to feel a little tired now. Maybe she did need to rest some more.

"Takara, I'm going to have to ask you to give me back your necklace," said Tsunade. "We'll have to check it out and see why it's so important that the Akatsuki would want it."

Takara nodded her head glumly as she walked over to Tsunade. She took off her necklace and put it in the Hokage's hand. Tsunade closed her fingers over the stone in a firm grip.

"I'll have Shizune get on this right away," she said. "You'll be hearing more soon, Takara."

Takara nodded and turned around and left the office. She walked through the Hokage Estate and out into the streets. She decided that it would be a good idea to go home and get some rest. She had just been attacked.

As she walked through the streets she passed by the flower shop owned by Ino Yamanaka and her family.

"Takara!"

Takara stopped and turned toward the shop where she had heard her name. She saw Ino behind the counter and Shikamaru standing in front of it. Ino waved her over to them so Takara walked into the shop.

"How are you out of the infirmary already?" Ino asked more because she was curious and liked to gossip then with concern for Takara.

"I left," said Takara. "I can't stand being in that place if I'm the patient. Those nurses drive me nuts."

Ino nodded while Shikamaru stood there with his hands in his pockets.

"I can't believe you were attacked by the Akatsuki," said Ino dramatically. "That must have been really scary for you right?"

Takara sometimes didn't like to talk to Ino. She liked to assume that people were weaker then her, which wasn't a good quality for a ninja.

"Well, yeah, I guess," said Takara. "Kind of like any other fight, I guess."

Takara shrugged and didn't say anything else. Ino seemed a little put out by Takara's aloof manner. She made a pout face as she leaned against the counter.

"So that's it?" she asked.

Takara raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I guess. I don't know what else I'm supposed to say."

Ino sighed dramatically. "Well, everyone made it seem like you had a near death battle against two Akatsuki members."

"Who's everyone?"

"The whole village has been talking about it ever since Kiba arrived at the infirmary with you in his arms," said Ino giving her a wink.

Takara ignored Ino's wink. "The whole village knows? Great."

"Don't worry," said Shikamaru. "It'll be old news now that Team Kakashi and Team Gai are back from the Sand Village."

"You didn't tell me that!" said Ino.

"I only just found out," said Shikamaru. "Man, you're always yelling."

Takara furrowed her eyebrows in thought. The Akatsuki was after Naruto, too. Did he know something about the Akatsuki that she didn't? Maybe he could help her learn more about them. Either way, she wasn't going to be able to get anything done without more rest.

Takara said good bye to Ino and Shikamaru and resumed her walk home.

***

Preview Ch 8:

"What's up, Takara?" he asked in his usual uncaring voice.

"Nothing," said Takara. "I have to find team members for my next mission. Are you, Ino and Choji busy with missions?"

"Well, I'm not," said Shikamaru grudgingly. "I have to stay here though because I'm helping with the Chunin exams."

"That's right. I totally forgot. What about Ino and Choji?"

"They're both going on a mission soon, too."

Takara growled under her breath. This would be so much easier if Tsunade had just assigned her a team instead of leaving it up to her to make a team.

"Do you know of anyone else who won't be able to go on missions?" asked Takara.

***


	9. Ch 8: Top Secret Mission

Animal Instincts

Chapter 8: Top Secret Mission

Recap:

"The whole village has been talking about it ever since Kiba arrived at the infirmary with you in his arms," said Ino giving her a wink.

Takara ignored her wink. "The whole village knows? Great."

"Don't worry," said Shikamaru. "It'll be old news now that Team Kakashi and Team Gai are back from the Sand Village."

"You didn't tell me that!" said Ino.

"I only just found out," said Shikamaru. "Man, you're always yelling."

Takara furrowed her eyebrows in thought. The Akatsuki was after Naruto, too. Did he know something about the Akatsuki that she didn't? Maybe he could help her learn more about them. Either way, she wasn't going to be able to get anything done without more rest.

Takara said goodbye to Ino and Shikamaru and resumed her walk home.

***

The village was completely empty as Takara made her way to the Hokage manor. The sun hadn't even come over the ridge yet and the village still lay sleepily in the early hours. There was a thin fog that was floating through the buildings and the air held a slight chill. Takara walked down the street looking very sleepy. It was way too early to be up, she thought.

She had been asleep since she'd come home yesterday from Ino's flower shop. She'd only woken up when she'd received the message to arrive at Lady Tsunade's private office this morning at this unnatural hour.

She walked passed the check-in desk and saw Kotetsu sleeping. He was hunched forward with his arms crossed and his head laying buried in his arms. Takara was sorely tempted to kick the desk and wake him up, but she passed by without disturbing the Chunin of his sleep. He'd probably been here for a few hours already.

Takara continued up the stairs and toward Tsunade-sama's private office. She laced her fingers together and stretched her arms out in front of her, palms out. She then pulled them over her head as she tried to wake herself up. Takara rubbed her eyes with the heel of her palm, hoping that would keep them open.

She glanced out the window and saw the suns rays begin to turn the once gray sky into an array of oranges and yellows as it made its way over the mountain ridge. Kin sat on Takara's shoulder with her head tucked under her wing, not yet ready to face the day. Takara walked the rest of the distance to Tsunade's office and now stood before the door. She knocked on it twice and waited.

"Come in," came a drowsy voice.

Takara opened the door to see Tsunade sitting on her desk with her back facing her as she watched the sun rise slowly behind the peaks. Shizune was sleeping soundly in a chair against the wall with TonTon curled in her lap. Takara closed the door behind her and walked to the center of the office. Tsunade had turned around and now stood facing her. She looked extremely tired. She must have a lot going on with Team Kakashi and Team Gai returning from Suna.

"We have news for you about your necklace," said Tsunade with a scratchy throat.

Takara nodded, now wide awake with anticipation.

"What we tell you does not leave this room for any reason," said Tsunade her eyes closed and her face serious.

"I understand," said Takara with a nod.

Shizune was now starting to stir as their conversation woke her up. TonTon was still sound asleep. Tsunade sat down on the edge of her desk only half facing Takara.

"Takara," she started. "Are you familiar with the legend of the Sacred Crystal?"

Takara shook her head.

Tsunade nodded with her eyes closed. "It's not very known anymore. The legend is so old that only a handful of people alive know truly anything about it."

"What is it?" asked Takara.

"The Sacred Crystal," said Shizune, now almost fully awake. "It's a stone that carries special powers; power to heal, destroy, protect. The stone reacts to a person's spirit. If someone is gentle and pure of heart, the stone's power can be used for good, such as healing the sick and wounded or protecting a village."

"And if it's used for evil?" asked Takara.

"The power to destroy a nation," finished Tsunade.

Each of them became quiet as they thought of the severity of their issue at hand. If the Akatsuki were to get their hands on the Sacred Crystal then they'd be in complete dominance over the Shinobi Nations.

"Where is the Crystal?" asked Takara.

Tsunade reached into her pocket and pulled out her necklace. She walked around the desk and held it out for her. Takara looked at Tsunade before reaching for her necklace and taking it. She looked at the yellow stone as it glittered in her hand.

"This is the Sacred Crystal?" Takara asked in disbelief.

"No," said Tsunade. "It's part of the Crystal."

Takara furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"The legend of the Sacred Crystal tells us that the Crystal was once in the possession of a group of monks who lived deep in the heart of the Fire Country," said Shizune. "One of the monks was bought by a criminal organization of that time and tried to steal the Crystal. He was caught, but the monks decided that the Crystal was too dangerous for anyone to have."

"They broke the crystal into five shards," said Tsunade. "And made sanctuaries in each of the Shinobi Nations to house one shard. Over time the sanctuaries have fallen into ruin and the stones scattered across the continent."

"And now the Akatsuki is searching for them," said Takara, beginning to see the big picture.

Tsunade and Shizune nodded with their eyes closed. Takara glanced in between them as the light from the sun began to pour into the office. Takara looked down at her necklace again. She knew that she had to do something, but was she ready to face the Akatsuki? They were extremely dangerous and she had only just gotten out of her last encounter with them reasonably unharmed. But she couldn't sit by and do nothing.

"What do we do then?" she asked.

Tsunade lifted the corner of her mouth in a half smile, pleased with Takara's zeal for this exceptionally perilous mission that was about to unfold.

"I need you to gather a team together," said Tsunade. "You will be going out to find the remaining shards and bring them back to Konoha."

Takara nodded. Her adrenaline was beginning to pump as she became excited. This was going to be one of the toughest missions she'd ever have. She was ready for it though. Shizune stood up from her chair with TonTon in her arms. She walked over to Takara, her first pupil, and smiled.

"You'll do great, Takara," she said.

Takara smiled at her mentor. She nodded before turning and leaving the room, her objective in the forefront of her mind.

She walked back down the hall with a hurried pace. She knew that gathering a shinobi team right now would be hard to do since many of the ninja were either on break or scheduled for other missions. She'd have to hurry and see who was available before they were snatched for another mission. The sooner she found a team, the sooner they'd be able to leave for their mission.

Takara walked through the streets of Konoha, surprised at how empty the streets still were. People seemed to just be waking up with the rays of the sun. She wouldn't be able to find anyone right now. It was still too early in the morning. She couldn't go back home though and do nothing. Takara looked around the village when her eyes fell on the message tower where they kept all the hawks used for sending messages.

Her mother would be up there now tending to the hawks. Takara smiled. She hadn't seen her mother in a while and she better tell her now what Lady Tsunade was planning before she heard from someone else that her only daughter was going on an extremely dangerous mission.

Takara made her way over to the tower. She walked up the spiraling staircase that wound around the thick tree trunk and led up to the room where the hawks were kept. She opened the door and peered inside. Her mother was putting food into the cage of one of the hawks, unaware of the visitor at the door. Takara walked into the room with a relaxed smile on her face.

Tsubame looked over her shoulder to see her visitor. When she saw Takara her face became blank and she turned away abruptly. Takara stopped at the cold reaction she'd just received. Her mother never acted like this toward her unless she'd done something really wrong. Takara thought what she could have done to make her mother angry.

When was the last time she'd seen her mother? It had to have been the morning before she'd gone training and then been attacked by the two Akatsuki members. Takara nodded her head when she realized she'd never let her parents know she was okay after that attack. Her mother hated it when she would leave the hospital without clearance, too.

Takara walked over to the table that stood in the middle of the room watching her mother work. Tsubame kept her back to her daughter. Takara crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the table, wanting to laugh at the way her mother was acting.

She sighed before saying, "I'm sorry."

Her mother kept working as she replied frigidly, "What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry that I never came to see you and Dad after I got out of the hospital," she said.

Tsubame looked over her shoulder at her daughter before nodding. "We came to your apartment to see if you were okay. You were asleep."

Takara nodded.

"You know better then to leave the hospital, though, Takara," said Tsubame in the scolding motherly tone. "You're there for a reason."

"I was fine, Mom," Takara tried to convince her. "I was only a little sore. They would have let me out in an hour anyway."

"Regardless, Takara, you were attacked by two S-rank criminals from one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in existence. You need to rest. I hope Tsunade doesn't give you any missions for a while."

Takara's face fell at her mother's untimely statement.

"That's actually what I wanted to come talk to you about," she said sheepishly.

Tsubame turned from the hawk she was tending to and looked at her daughter. Takara had picked up a small pellet from one of the bowls of food and was now feeding it to Kin.

"Don't tell me you're already assigned a mission," said Tsubame with worry on her face.

Takara nodded, not looking at her mother. She stroked Kin's chest with her finger as she tried to think of how to tell her mother about her mission without making her worry too much.

"What's the ranking?" asked Tsubame.

"It hasn't been assigned yet," said Takara. "It'll probably be A-rank, maybe even S. It's a classified mission of the utmost secrecy, so I shouldn't even be telling you about it."

Tsubame looked like she wanted to throw something. She closed the door to the cage of the hawk she had just fed and then stood up. Tension was radiating from her body as if she was about to explode. Takara looked up at her mother with apprehension on her face.

She knew that this had to be hard on her mother. It killed her each time Takara or her father were sent on mission, especially the dangerous ones. Seiji had become a ninja after a few short months in Konoha under the recommendation of Hiashi Hyuga. He was now a Jonin and currently on a mission.

Takara stood up from the table and laid a hand on her mother's shoulder. She wanted to be able to comfort her in any way she could.

"It'll be okay," she said softly.

"How long will you be gone?" Tsubame asked throatily.

"A few months at the least."

Tsubame nodded. She took a deep sigh before trying to put on a brave face for Takara. She had never wanted this life for her daughter or her husband, but it had been what they both wanted. She didn't want to get in the way of their ambitions.

"Please be careful," she whispered to Takara.

Takara nodded before pressing her cheek against her mother's. She said goodbye and then left the room, feeling more drained then when she had woken up before the moon had time to set. She came down the stairs and made her way back into the busy streets. Konoha was lively once again as everyone began coming out for the day ahead.

Takara began thinking of who she could possibly find to gather a team together. She kept her eyes out for anyone she might know. A few minutes passed when through the crowd she could see the familiar spiky ponytail of the laziest ninja in Konoha.

"Shikamaru!" she called as she jogged over to him.

He was walking with his hands in his pockets in true Shikamaru fashion. He glanced at her lazily as he continued to walk down the street.

"What's up, Takara?" he asked in his usual uncaring voice.

"Nothing," said Takara. "I have to find team members for my next mission. Are you, Ino and Choji busy with missions?"

"Well, I'm not," said Shikamaru grudgingly. "I have to stay here though because I'm helping with the Chunin Exams."

"That's right. I totally forgot. What about Ino and Choji?"

"They're both going on a mission soon, too."

Takara growled under her breath. This would be so much easier if Tsunade had just assigned her a team instead of leaving it up to her to make a team.

"Do you know anyone else who won't be able to go on missions?" asked Takara.

Shikamaru looked upward in thought.

"Team Gai and Team Kakashi won't have time," he said. "And most of the Jonin and higher Chunin are staying here for the exams. You could ask Team Kurenai. I know they were on break for a few days. Maybe they don't have a mission yet."

Takara brightened. "That's right! Thanks, Shikamaru."

He lifted his hand in a 'your welcome' as Takara hurried down the street. She rarely got to go on missions with Hinata. And this time they'd be able to spend several months together on this mission. Takara slowed down as she also realized who else that meant she'd be spending several months with.

Takara groaned at the thought of having to put up with Kiba for three months. She could barely put up with him for three minutes, how would she be able to spend so much time around him without throttling him in his sleep?

She walked the rest of the way to the Hyuga home to find Hinata. She knocked on the wooden gate and waited. A member of the branch family opened it.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"I'm looking for Hinata," said Takara. "Is she here?"

The family member nodded. "She's by the koi pond."

Takara stepped into the Hyuga grounds and thanked the family member. She knew her way around pretty well, having come here many times with her father when he would come to see Hiashi. Takara made her way to the koi pond where she found Hinata sitting on a stone bench tossing pieces of bread in for the fish.

"Hinata," she said as she made her way over to the pond.

Hinata looked up to see who had called her name. She smiled brightly at Takara. "Takara, what are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you," she said sitting down next to Hinata. "How much longer will you be on break from any missions?"

"We start tomorrow," said Hinata. "But our mission hasn't been assigned to us yet. W-why?"

"Come with me," said Takara getting up from the bench. "We need to go see Kurenai."

"Ah- What for?" said Hinata standing up and tossing the last few bread crumbs into the pond.

"I'm assigning you a mission."

***

Preview Ch 9:

"You said we would be accompanied by another teammate," he said calmly. "Who will join us?"

I've assigned someone to your team who's be researching the history of he Sacred Crystal," said Tsunade. "Takara Nishimura."

"WHAAT!" shouted Kiba as he grabbed onto his head.

He immediately calmed when everyone in the room looked at him oddly. He nodded to the Hokage and walked out of the room before anyone.

How could this happen? Such a perfect mission had to be spoiled like this? He was going to have to spend at least three months with _her_.

***


	10. Ch 9: Who's The Leader?

Animal Instincts

Chapter 9: Who's The Leader?

Recap:

"I came to talk to you," she said sitting down next to Hinata. "How much longer will you be on break from any missions?"

"We start tomorrow," said Hinata. "But our mission hasn't been assigned to us yet. W-why?"

"Come with me," said Takara getting up from the bench. "We need to go see Kurenai."

"Ah- What for?" said Hinata standing up and tossing the last few bread crumbs into the pond.

"I'm assigning you a mission."

***

It was later that same day. Kiba was sleeping in his room, legs sprawled wide and arms askew. There was a small dribble of drool coming from his mouth as he breathed with his mouth wide open. Akamaru lay at his feet, curled neatly into a ball, sleeping soundly.

His door opened slowly and his sister Hana looked into the room. She opened the door wider and walked in. She moved over to the side of the bed and stared down at Kiba. She shook her head at his comical pose of sleeping before reaching down and giving his shoulder a shake.

Kiba's eyes opened wide immediately and he sat up, startled out of his sleep. He took a few deep breaths and then looked up at his sister.

"You have a visitor," was all she said before walking out of the room.

Kiba sighed. He reached for his jacket which was hanging on the back of his door. He put it on and zipped it up before walking out of his room. Hana had left the front door open and standing on his porch was Shino Aburame.

Kiba walked to the door and scratched the back of his head. "What's up?"

"The Hokage has summoned us," Shino said evenly.

Kiba growled lowly. "It's our last day off. What could she possibly want? This better be good."

Kiba reached down and pulled on his shoes before stepping outside and walking with Shino down the street, Akamaru trotting at his heels. Kiba covered his mouth as he yawned widely, stretching an arm over his head. He shook his head in a dog-like fashion before standing straight with a big sigh.

Shino walked alongside Kiba without saying a word and without even a glance at Kiba's odd behavior. They made their way through the crowded streets of Konoha. It was mid-afternoon and everyone seemed to be out on the streets. Shino and Kiba wormed their way through the crowd and to the Hokage building.

Waiting outside was Hinata and Kurenai. They were talking rapidly and were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't see Kiba and Shino walk up until they were right next to them. They looked at the two of them.

"Alright," said Kurenai. "Let's go."

The team silently walked behind their sensei and went into the Hokage tower. Kiba was drowsily thinking that he would love to still be in bed right now. He still so lethargic that he didn't even realize they weren't headed to the normal meeting room. It took him a moment or two to look around and realize where they were headed.

"We're going to her private office?" he asked aloud.

Kurenai nodded.

Kiba leaned over to Shino and Hinata. "Do you two have any idea what's going on?"

Shino shook his head silently. Hinata on the other hand looked away with faintly pink cheeks. Kiba narrowed his eyes at her.

"Hinata," he half snarled half whispered. "You know something, don't you?"

"Not really," she said quietly, not meeting Kiba's gaze. "Only that our next mission is supposed to be really difficult."

Kiba looked forward again and crossed his arms over his chest. What's with all the secrecy? It really wasn't like Hinata to be so aloof. And even Kurenai wasn't saying much. This meeting must really be about something important if everyone was so keyed up about it. And they were meeting with the Hokage privately?

Kiba smiled widely at the different scenarios he pictured in his head. Maybe they would be sent to take down a crime lord or maybe they were going to another village to escort someone really important. Would they be sent to assassinate someone?

The team now stood in front of the Hokage's office. Kurenai knocked a few rapid beats on the door with her knuckles. Tsunade's bark-like 'come in' came through the door. Kurenai opened the door and allowed her team to go in first as she followed behind. Tsunade sat behind her desk with her forehead in her hands.

Kiba didn't envy her. Being Hokage was something he never wanted to do. Too much paperwork.

Tsunade lifted her head to see the four ninja file into her office. She shifted thing around on her desk before standing up, leaning her hands on her desk.

"I know you're all on a break and that you don't start until tomorrow," she said. "But I wanted to inform you on your next mission since it will be an A-rank."

Kiba smiled at this. So this was going to be tough. At least it wasn't some wimpy genin-type mission.

"Before I explain what your mission entails," said Tsunade. "Let me forewarn you that there will be many enemy encounters on this mission. It is entirely top secret to avoid any information of its motive to be leaked out. The only ones who know the truth behind this mission are the people in this room and you will be accompanied by one more teammate."

They all nodded and waited for her to continue.

"Your mission is to find the five shards of the Sacred Crystal before the Akatsuki does."

Kiba gave Tsunade a confused look before looking out of the corner of his eye at his teammates reactions. Shino stood directly next to him, but you could never know what Shino's expression was. Hinata seemed like she was a little nervous about the mission now. Probably after hearing it would deal with the Akatsuki.

Kiba looked back at Tsunade hoping that she would clarify what the 'Sacred Crystal' was and its five shards. This mission had gone from exciting to baffling in two seconds.

"By the looks on your faces, I'll need to clarify more," said Tsunade. "The Sacred Crystal in an immense power tool that if in the wrong hands can destroy an entire village in one swoop. That is the reason the Akatsuki want it and the reason we can't let them have it."

Now it was interesting again, thought Kiba.

"How long do we have to recover the shards?" said Kurenai.

"As soon as it can be done," said Tsunade. "I'd like this to be done within three months. You all leave bright and early tomorrow. Be ready."

Kiba turned to leave, anticipation coursing through his body, when Shino spoke up.

"You said we would be accompanied by another teammate," he said calmly. "Who will join us?"

I've assigned someone to your team who's be researching the history of he Sacred Crystal," said Tsunade. "Takara Nishimura."

"What!" shouted Kiba as he grabbed onto his head.

He immediately calmed when everyone in the room looked at him oddly. He nodded to the Hokage, his mouth in a grim line, and walked out of the room before anyone.

How could this happen? Such a perfect mission had to be spoiled like this? He was going to have to spend at least three months with _her_?

***

Takara walked down one of the back streets of Konoha to the lone tree that stood in the middle of a residential area. This was usually known as the meeting tree since it wasn't far from the main gate and was easy to find.

Kin sat straight on Takara's shoulder, ready for another mission. Takara walked down the gravel path a little apprehensive at to what reaction she would get from Kiba. Even though they were rivals Takara didn't hate him. She just couldn't stand the way he acted as if he was a big hot shot. What did he think about Takara being a co-leader to the group?

Takara sighed in frustration. She hated being put into this situation. Maybe she and Kiba could finally resolve their differences over the time span and become friends. Well, maybe not friends, but at least act somewhat civilized when they were around each other.

_Takara, are you sure you're ready for such a risky mission so soon after your attack?_ Kin asked.

Takara smiled up at her animal partner, grateful for her concern. "Yes, Kin," she said. "I'll be fine with you by my side."

The gravel crunched beneath her feet as she walked around the corner to the meeting tree. Everyone, but Kurenai seemed to be there already. Takara's heart leapt into her throat as she saw Hinata sitting on the ground leaning against the tree. She seemed to be unconscious. Takara jogged over to the tree to see why Kiba and Shino weren't trying to revive her when she saw Kiba talking with someone.

She peered over his shoulder as they all turned to look at her. Standing in front of Kiba was none other than Naruto Uzumaki. Takara's face split into a big grin at the sight of her old friend.

"Naruto!" she exclaimed as she pushed passed Kiba. Probably not a good way to start off this 'being nice to Kiba' leaf she was turning, but old habits die hard.

"Takara-chan!" he cried.

"It's good to finally see you again! I'd heard you'd returned from your training and then gone immediately to Suna."

"Yeah," said Naruto scratching the back of his head. "I've been pretty busy ever since I got back."

"It seems you recognized Takara immediately," said Shino more slowly then normal. "Naruto?"

Naruto sweat dropped at Shino's statement and Takara looked at him as if asking him to explain Shino's weird mood.

"Shino's upset because I couldn't recognize who he was right away," whispered Naruto behind his hand to Takara. She nodded and he continued. "I don't know why he's so mad, no one can recognize him when he covers his face all the time."

Takara giggled behind her hand and she looked between Naruto and Shino. It was funny to see Shino acting like this. He was always so quiet and aloof.

"What are you doing now?" Takara asked with a tilt of her head in curiosity.

"I need to find a new team member for my next mission," Naruto said his head falling forward in a defeated look. "Everyone's busy."

Takara nodded her head sympathetically. Naruto's head popped up suddenly, his blue eyes shining with realization. He plastered a huge cheesy smile on his face and looked at you hopefully.

"Hey, Takara," he said with a chuckle. "You're probably not doing anything, right? I mean, I heard you were attacked by the same Akatsuki guys that we fought in the River Country. You're probably on a break of some sort, am I right?"

Takara pouted and crossed her arms over her chest as she feigned hurt feelings. "I'm shocked, Naruto," she said dramatically. "You know I'm tougher then that."

"Or just stubborn," muttered Kiba under his breath as he rolled his eyes.

Takara whipped her head towards Kiba with a snarl on her face, but before she come up with a nasty retort Naruto cut her off.

"Don't tell me you already have a mission?!"

Takara nodded to Naruto, deciding to let Kiba's remark slide for now. "I'm part of Team Kurenai for their mission."

"WHAAT?!" Naruto exclaimed as he held his hands up over his head in surrender. "I'm never going to find someone to replace Kakashi."

Takara smiled understandingly for Naruto.

"You know, Naruto," she said tapping her chin with her finger. "I talked to Shikamaru and he seems to know about what everyone is doing. He told me that most of the Jonin and higher Chunin are staying in the village for the Chunin Exams."

"Alright then," he said confidently. "I'll go find Shikamaru."

With that he took off down the road with a wave goodbye. Takara waved back at him with a smile on her face. It was good to see Naruto again. It'd been very quiet in Konoha without him.

Takara brought her hand back down and turned to face the three members of Team Kurenai. She realized now that poor Hinata must have fainted when she'd seen Naruto and that was why she was on the ground. Shino had retreated into a corner to sulk and Kiba was leaning up against the tree with his arms crossed and a sour look on his face. Akamaru lay on the ground at his feet.

Takara walked over and knelt down to pet Akamaru on the head. Kiba opened one eye to watch her. He hated it when she played with Akamaru. It made it that much more difficult to dislike her when Akamaru was so attached to her.

Why, he didn't know, but Akamaru had formed a small attachment to Takara. Of course, Takara kept her time spent with Akamaru to a minimal because being around him meant that she would have to be around Kiba. It had annoyed him to no end when Takara had jumped onto Akamaru's back at the infirmary like he was her dog. And Akamaru had listened to her too! Kiba looked down at the pair with stormy eyes as Akamaru panted happily as Takara scratched behind his ear.

Takara stood up as Kin flew high onto a branch. She adjusted her backpack and looked at Kiba who seemed to be the only team member in consciousness. He had his eyes closed, but as Takara found herself staring at him, why she didn't have any clue, he opened one eye to look at her.

"What?" he asked in a low rumble.

Takara shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly and looked away. Why had she been staring at him? She'd never done that before. Takara glanced out of the corner of her eye at him as he resumed his position of leaning against the tree. She couldn't help but notice as he shift his leg to rest his foot against the tree that Kiba was very toned.

Of course being a ninja helped, but even so his body was lean and his muscles tight and sinewy. Takara shook her head and tore her gaze from Kiba. What was wrong with her? She thought as she tried to clear her head of this foolish nonsense. Kiba was her arch-rival, she shouldn't be thinking these things about him.

"What are you shaking your head for?" came Kiba's voice through her thoughts.

Takara froze. Well, she couldn't really tell him the truth about what she was shaking her head for. What would she say? I was thinking of your perfect body and then had to shake my head to get the thoughts out. That would be a wonderful scenario. Takara searched her brain for a good reason.

"I … ah … There was a fly … in my face," she mumbled.

Kiba raised an eyebrow at her unconvincing answer and then looked away. Shino was now leaning against the wood plank fence that separated the street from the houses. Hinata began to stir from her position on the ground. Maybe now would be a good time to see how much they know about the mission.

"I assume the Hokage met with you all to tell you about the mission?" she asked looking at Shino and Kiba.

Shino nodded his head silently. Kiba snorted as he grinned.

"Of course she told us," he said derisively. "Did you think she send us on something like this without first briefing us?"

Takara turned to Kiba and glared at him, her mouth in a thin line. "Don't start now, Kiba. We haven't even left Konoha and you're already starting to push me."

Kiba lifted the corner of his mouth in a half smile. "Then I'm doing a good job."

"Anyway," said Takara emphasizing the word. "We'll head to the South-East from the main entrance and continue on until evening."

"That's all dense forest," said Kiba challengingly. "We'll be walking into a death trap."

"Kiba, I'm leading this team with Kurenai and we've already discussed a plan for where we'll be going. So, no, we won't be walking into a trap."

"What makes you think you're leading this team?"

"Because I was assigned for that reason by the Hokage!"

"You don't know anything about leading a team."

"And you do?!"

Takara and Kiba were now leaning forward, their faces inches away as they growled dangerously at each other. They had on that look that said if either said one more thing to anger the other an all out brawl was going to ensue between the two rivals.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," came the voice of reason.

Kurenai was walking down the street towards them with her eyebrows raised. Takara and Kiba didn't look at her when they heard her voice, but continued to stare at each other. Then they simultaneously turned their backs on each other, Kiba crossing his arms and Takara putting her hands on her hips. The tension still ran between the two as if connected by a string.

Kurenai stared at them with narrowed eyes before rolling her eyes. "Alright, I'm sure Takara's told what the plan is for the day."

"Apparently someone has a problem with it," muttered Takara over her shoulder to ensure that Kiba heard her.

"It's just my opinion," he snarled back.

"Well, I'm sure it isn't appealing to be heading into this dense and unfamiliar are of the Fire Country, but it's where we can get a good head start on finding the first shard," said Kurenai calmly.

Hinata and Shino had now decided to join the group and were standing behind Takara and Kiba. Takara breathed heavily through her nose as she tried to calm herself down. If she was going to be a co-leader to Kurenai, then she needed to act like one. She couldn't pick fights with Kiba and she had to be an example. This already was giving her a headache.

She took one last breath and let it out as a heavy sigh. She turned around and look between everyone swiftly. "Are we ready to go, then?"

Hinata nodded, looking nervously between Takara and Kiba. Shino seemed to be back to his usual self and nodded his head, his hands in his pockets. Kurenai nodded also, but Kiba kept his back turned to her. Takara ignored Kiba and began to lead the way to the main gate.

"Let's go," she said in a tone that said she was already fed up with this mission before it had even gotten started.

They all began walking behind her. Kurenai and Hinata came up to stand on either side of her while Shino and Kiba took up the rear. Takara let out a shrill whistle and Kin came flying out of the tree to land on her shoulder.

_I know I tell you this every time, but you have to stop letting him get to you,_ she said to Takara.

"I don't let him get to me," Takara muttered under her breath.

***

Preview Ch 10:

"Thank you, Shino," said Takara with a weak smile.

"Be a little more careful," he said calmly as he let go of her arm.

They began walking as Kiba continued to look at Takara. She wasn't sure why he was. Maybe he was waiting for an apology from her for hitting him.

"Sorry," she mumbled as she passed him.

There was a pause as she walked away.

"Don't worry about it," Kiba said just as reluctantly.


	11. Ch 10: Endangering the Mission

Animal Instincts

Chapter 10: Endangering The Mission

Recap:

She took one last breath and let it out as a heavy sigh. She turned around and look between everyone swiftly. "Are we ready to go, then?"

Hinata nodded, looking nervously between Takara and Kiba. Shino seemed to be back to his usual self and nodded his head, his hands in his pockets. Kurenai nodded also, but Kiba kept his back turned to her. Takara ignored Kiba and began to lead the way to the main gate.

"Let's go," she said in a tone that said she was already fed up with this mission before it had even gotten started.

They all began walking behind her. Kurenai and Hinata came up to stand on either side of her while Shino and Kiba took up the rear. Takara let out a shrill whistle and Kin came flying out of the tree to land on her shoulder.

_I know I tell you this every time, but you have to stop letting him get to you,_ she said to Takara.

"I don't let him get to me," Takara muttered under her breath.

***

"Alright."

Takara stopped her pace and looked at the back of Kurenai's head. It was already passed sundown and they were all getting tired. Takara looked around them at where they had stopped. It was a small clearing off the main path, a good spot for them to rest for the night.

Takara walked in front of Kurenai and took Kin from her shoulder to her forearm. She dipped her arm before pushing it up into the air, giving Kin a boost as she took off into the air.

"Kin will scout the area for any potential threats," said Takara.

"Akamaru and I can catch an enemies scent from miles away," said Kiba with a cocky grin. "We don't need a scout."

"The enemy could catch your scent from a mile away you sweaty dog," said Takara with a frown.

Kiba glared at Takara and she gave him a look that begged for him to say something so she would have an excuse to punch him. It had been like this ever since they'd left Konoha. She didn't know what she had been thinking pairing up with Team Kurenai for this mission, but what else could she have done? She couldn't finish this mission by herself, but she was having more trouble even getting it started with Kiba around. She'd have to take the high road and turn the other cheek.

Kin came back a moment later, reporting that there was no one in the area for miles. Akamaru couldn't pick up the scent of any strangers either.

"Then it shouldn't be a problem to have a small fire," said Kurenai. "Kiba, you and Akamaru dig the fire pit. Shino keep a look out of our surroundings. Takara, you and Kin need to get wood for the fire. Hinata and I will go fill the canteens."

"Hai!" They all said in unison.

Takara walked into the woods with Kin on her shoulder. They stayed silent for a few moments, but Takara could feel Kin's quick glances.

"Is there something you wanted to talk about, Kin?" she asked after a moment.

_Not really,_ said Kin. _I'm just concerned about the mission._

"We've barely started and you're already concerned? Nothing has gone wrong yet."

_It's not so much the mission itself. I guess you could say I'm worried about the team._

Takara tensed. She knew what Kin was trying to say. "You're talking about me and Kiba, aren't you."

Kin didn't say anything, but she didn't deny Takara's assumption. Takara frowned and looked off into the woods. Who cared how Kiba and Takara treated each other? Did it really matter? As long as the mission got done, there was no need for them to treat each other like something they weren't: friends.

Takara stopped in front of a tree with a thick branch that hung low.

"This should be good," she said.

Kin flew off her shoulder and flapped her wings to stay in the air. Takara pulled out five shuriken. They weren't normal shuriken though. Similar to Asuma's chakra blades, these shuriken conducted chakra. Takara held the medium sized blades in between her fingers. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and then threw the shuriken at the tree branch.

The blades sliced through the wood and embedded into the tree beyond it. Four chunks of wood suspended in midair as Kin flew over, small wires hanging from her talons. She flew around the bits of wood and wound a net around the pieces. She set the bundle on the ground as Takara walked over.

Takara grabbed the net and began dragging it behind her back to camp. Kin glided slowly through the air above Takara. Takara glanced up at Kin, still annoyed that she had brought up Kiba again.

"The relationship I have with Kiba is really no one's business," Takara said abruptly. "I don't understand why everyone keeps bringing it up."

_When team members fight it endangers the mission and everyone involved,_ said Kin not looking at Takara. _You should know that as a co-leader._

Takara snarled in anger. Kin had a point, but Takara still didn't care. What was she supposed to do anyway? Ask Kiba if he wanted to be her friend? Like that would ever happen. They were rivals and forever pitted against each other.

They made it back into the camp and relaxed for the first time that day. Takara hated the food they had to eat when on a mission. At least they could have a hot meal tonight. Most nights it would have to be cold.

The team relaxed after their meal around the fire. Shino sat cross-legged with his hands in his lap, Hinata had her knees pulled up to her chest, Kurenai was sitting with her legs bent underneath her, Takara had her legs stretched out to the side and Kiba was lazily leaning against Akamaru's body.

No wonder he smells like a dog, Takara thought.

"Time for business," said Kurenai looking at the Chunin. "Tomorrow we'll continue traveling to our first destination, Tomi Village."

"T-Tomi Village?" asked Hinata. "I've never heard of it."

"It's a small, secluded village in the south. They don't like outsiders and are very isolated."

"Why are we going there?" asked Kiba.

"We have a connection with one of the elders, Ayame Fuuin," said Takara, earning a raised eyebrow from Kiba. "She's supposedly knowledgeable in the Sacred Crystals history."

"So she's going to tell us where to find these shards?"

"That's what we're hoping. It will give us a head start on the Akatsuki we think."

"What route will we be taking?" asked Shino.

"There's only one way to Tomi Village," said Kurenai. "That's through dense forest. It'll be rough terrain, but there should be a rugged path we can follow."

There was a pause where everyone thought about the information they were taking in. The fire flickered and crackled in the middle on the camp.

"There is a slight risk," said Takara. "The villagers of Tomi are very protective and usually refuse outsiders entrance into the village. On our way, we'll probably be attacked and told to leave."

Kurenai nodded. "We have to keep our guard up so we aren't taken by surprise."

Takara nodded.

"That shouldn't be hard," said Kiba with a grin. "No one can get passed Akamaru's nose."

"Don't be too sure," said Takara. "The region we're going to is incredibly thick with trees and foliage. It's moist and sticky and there are all kinds of smells that could throw Akamaru off. Our best bet is Shino's beetles watching our surroundings."

"Tch, says who?" mumbled Kiba. He hated having to listen to what Takara said, especially when she made sense.

Takara growled at Kiba. An anime vein popped on her forehead and she clenched her fist. Suddenly she turned to him with angry, white eyes and shouted, "Because I said so you baka!"

Takara breathed heavily through her nose as she clenched her teeth. Kiba could be so infuriating she wanted to rip him to shreds. Kiba frowned at her and looked away, choosing not to reply. Kurenai sighed and closed her eyes.

"Can you two stop fighting for once?" she asked irritated. "Do you want an enemy to hear us?"

Takara became serious. Kiba was making her look bad. How was she going to be able to prove she was a good leader if she couldn't even follow the basic rules of being a ninja. Stealth, soundless, precise. Takara wasn't being any of these things. She was being loud, obnoxious and foolish.

"This is an A-rank mission," Kurenai continued very low. "We can't make rudimentary mistakes. Our plans and actions need to be carried out with precision or the whole mission could fail."

Takara thought back to when she was a new genin. She had learned a lot by studying under Shizune and Ryuuna-sensei. She was stronger then ever and she worked hard to protect her teammates. She wouldn't allow something to happen like they did with Dou and Shin. Takara nodded her understanding. She'd make sure this mission didn't fail and she'd make sure none of her comrades were hurt. Even Kiba.

"It's time for some rest I think," said Kurenai. "Takara, stay up for the first hour and keep watch."

"Hai."

***

Takara walked down the vine strewn path with the others. She was walking behind Kiba with Shino to her right. She was having trouble because her feet felt like they were made of concrete. She tried to pick them up from the forest floor as she walked, but they always got caught on vines. Luckily she would catch herself to prevent herself from stumbling. She hadn't been able to get enough sleep last night. Her thoughts had kept her from falling asleep.

All she could think about was leading this team. So far she hadn't proved herself. But how could she lead them when Kiba was making immature remarks and defying her authority every time she even spoke? That had gotten her frustrated and then she'd spent a good portion of the night fuming over Kiba's arrogance and rebellion.

Takara's foot caught on a tree root and this time she didn't have time to catch herself. She reached out with her left hand and smacked Kiba in the back while Shino grabbed her right arm to keep her from falling flat on her face. She righted her self while Shino held her up. Kiba turned around with an annoyed look on his face.

"Thank you, Shino," said Takara with a weak smile.

"Be a little more careful," he said calmly as he let go of her arm.

They began walking as Kiba continued to look at Takara. She wasn't sure why he was. Maybe he was waiting for an apology from her for hitting him.

"Sorry," she mumbled as she passed him.

There was a pause as she walked away.

"Don't worry about it," Kiba said just as reluctantly.

"Keep moving," called Kurenai from the front of the group.

Takara heaved a deep breath and began walking with more force. She couldn't hold the team back.

_Takara, don't push yourself too hard,_ said Kin.

"I'm not," she said, half ignoring what Kin said.

Takara noticed they were getting closer to the village. They really needed to be ready for any kind of attack.

"Shino," she said walking up to him. "Have your bugs spotted anything yet?"

"Nothing from what they've told me," he said. "They say the forest is empty."

"Of anything?"

Shino nodded. Something wasn't right. The forest is a thriving spot for any creature, they should be surrounded by other bugs, birds and animals. How could the forest be empty?

"Hinata," Takara said as she hurried over to Hinata. "Can you see anything?"

"I haven't seen movement from anything," said Hinata.

Takara was beginning to get an uneasy feeling. She closed her eyes and focused her chakra to her eyes. Veins appeared on her temples and she opened her eyes when her Hirakengan was activated. She looked around the path, seeing the red forms of heat, which were her teammates. She widened her view and began looking through the forest.

There!

She could see several red forms strewn about the path. But how could the others not see them? Takara concentrated and saw the blue, green spots where there were plants. The enemy was hiding _inside_ the trees. That was why Shino's bugs and Hinata's eyes couldn't see them, they only saw trees. The enemies were all around them.

"They're here!" she said to the others as she got into a battle stance.

Before the others had time to react several ninja dressed all in black with masks and hoods covering their faces jumped out of the trees they had been hiding in and surrounded the party. Takara clenched her teeth together as she looked at the covered faces of the Tomi Village ninja. Great, she thought.

One of the ninja walked forward. He had a katana strapped to his back and shin guards and forearm guards.

"Why are you here in our forest?" he asked hostily.

Takara felt sweat drip down her neck as she looked at the ninja standing in front of them. He was about 5'9" but held himself as if he was much taller. He stood waiting for a reply.

"We've come to speak with someone in the village," said Kurenai, not moving, always keeping her gaze on the ninjas in front of her.

"No one comes into Tomi Village," said the leader. "We don't want outsiders interfering in our business."

"We don't want to interfere," said Takara. "We've come seeking information from one of your elders."

There was a hushed silence that fell. The leader walked over to stand in front of Takara. She lifted her gaze to look at the only visible part of his face, his eyes.

"And who would that be?" he asked staring down at her.

Takara breathed before answering, "Ayame Fuuin."

There was a pause after she said this before the ninja from Tomi began chuckling and looking around at each other. Takara couldn't understand what was so funny.

"You want to speak with Elder Fuuin?" said the leader. "You must be crazy. She'd never see an outsider, let alone help them."

Takara frowned and narrowed her eyes.

"I think you should let the Elder decide that," said Kiba suddenly, halting the laughter.

The leader looked around at their group swiftly, his gaze resting on Takara. She stared back at him, not willing to budge on their mission.

"Senju," said the leader.

One of the ninja went over to him. His face was also covered with a mask and hood, but he didn't wear any arm guards or shin guards.

"Yes, sir," he said.

"Bring the chakra cuffs and rope," said the leader. "We will take them to Elder Fuuin if that's their desire."

Takara let out a breath she had been holding. They were going to make it to the Village. She looked over her shoulder to see the relieved face of Kurenai.

"We can't allow you to walk into the Village freely," said the leader, getting her attention again. "You will all wear chakra cuffs to prevent you from using any jutsus until we feel you are not a threat."

Takara nodded. She looked at her teammates and could see that Kiba wasn't happy with this idea. Several of the ninja came over to their group with cuffs in their hands. Takara stood calmly as she let the ninja clasp the cuffs over her wrist. She immediately felt the flow of chakra to her hands stop. She glanced over to Kiba on her right and saw him baring his teeth as he reluctantly let the ninja put the cuffs on.

Another ninja walked over to Akamaru with a rope in hand. Kiba saw this and quickly stood in between Akamaru and the ninja. The ninja stood tensely at Kiba's menacing pose.

"Touch him," said Kiba heatedly. "And I'll kill you."

"Kiba!" shouted Takara. "What are you trying to do? Get us all killed!"

"Shut up, Takara!" he yelled back. "I won't let them-"

"Kiba!"

He stopped shouted at the sound of Kurenai's voice. He still stood in front of the ninja, glaring the entire time.

"Let them put Akamaru on a lead," said Kurenai. "They're not going to hurt him, right?"

She gave the leader a do-as-I-say-or-there-will-be-trouble look. He nodded and Kiba stood up straight, allowing the ninja to walk by him and slip a loose lead on Akamaru. The hound was not pleased at all to be tied up, but like his master reluctantly accepted the situation.

The Tomi Village ninjas had their team file into a line, allowing Akamaru to walk next to Kiba. Kin had been put on a lead too, a small rope tied around her ankle. Kin perched on Takara's shoulder, unhappy about this turn of events.

_I don't know who they think they are tying me up like this,_ she said dramatically.

"Relax, Kin," said Takara. "It'll be over with soon."

She followed behind Hinata as the team made its way through the forest into Tomi Village.

***

Preview Ch 11:

Why was everyone quiet? She couldn't understand it. They should be talking about a plan right now. They should be figuring out what they were going to do to get the shards before the Akatsuki did. Instead they were sitting and looking at each other.

"So what do we do?" she asked.

Elder Fuuin blinked and her eyes seemed to focus on Takara's face. The others looked over at her too. Takara looked around at all of them, but rested her gaze on Elder Fuuin.

"Elder Fuuin," she said leaning forward onto the table. "Kurenai-sama says that you may have some information as to where the shards might be. Is this true?"

"I hope you don't expect me to just hand something like this over, do you? These are the shards of the Sacred Crystal. One of the most powerful objects in our history. Information like this doesn't come lightly."

***


	12. Ch 11: Convince Elder Fuuin!

Animal Instincts

Chapter 11: Mission: Convince Elder Fuuin!

Recap:

"Let them put Akamaru on a lead," said Kurenai. "They're not going to hurt him, right?"

She gave the leader a do-as-I-say-or-there-will-be-trouble look. He nodded and Kiba stood up straight, allowing the ninja to walk by him and slip a loose lead on Akamaru. The hound was not pleased at all to be tied up, but like his master reluctantly accepted the situation.

The Tomi Village ninjas had their team file into a line, allowing Akamaru to walk next to Kiba. Kin had been put on a lead too, a small rope tied around her ankle. Kin perched on Takara's shoulder, unhappy about this turn of events.

_I don't know who they think they are tying me up like this,_ she said dramatically.

"Relax, Kin," said Takara. "It'll be over with soon."

She followed behind Hinata as the team made its way through the forest into Tomi Village.

***

It had been only twenty minutes that the ninjas from Tomi Village had caught up to them when the forest began to thin and sunlight crept through the branches. Takara looked up and could see that it was almost dusk now and the sky was beginning to turn orange. She sighed as she wished she could just sit down and take a rest. Her feet were killing her.

The Tomi shinobi were walking on either side of their group, keeping an eye on all of them. Takara was walking directly behind Kurenai who was at the front. They had been able to make it through the first part, but would Elder Fuuin let them speak with her?

Takara glanced over her shoulder at her teammates. Hinata looked nervous as she glanced at the men that walked on either side of her. Shino looked like ... well, Shino. Kiba and Akamaru looked pissed and ready to blow. Takara sighed.

She knew that Kiba wasn't liking any of this so far. She wasn't liking it anymore then he was, but for the sake of the team she needed to act like a leader and put aside their differences for now. She could do that, couldn't she?

"Kin," she whispered. "Can you see the village from here?"

"Hey! No talking!" grunted one of the ninja standing to Takara's right. He leaned it next to her menacingly to emphasize his point.

Takara looked at him with a raised eyebrow, not intimidated at all by his mean growl or the fact that he was probably two times her size. She held her breath as his dirty stench floated into her nostrils. He stood straight again and they resumed the walk. Takara let out her breath, grateful for clean air.

_I can't see too much, but I think we are coming to the end of the road,_ said Kin. _I'm sure the village isn't far away._

Takara nodded her head, but made sure not to say anything. The ninja might make another scene.

"So, what business do you have with Elder Fuuin?" asked the leader of the Tomi Village shinobi.

Kurenai turned her head in his direction and looked at him for a moment. "None of your concern."

"It is if it had to do with this village," the leader practically shouted.

"Well, then it's a good thing our business has nothing to do with your village," said Kurenai as she turned her head away from the insufferable ninja.

Takara sweatdropped as she looked at her leader. 'I guess we don't have to worry about being quiet anymore,' she thought.

Takara stepped out of the shadows from the woods and into the evening sun. She held her cuffed hands in front of her face to shield her eyes from the sun. She blinked a few times before she'd adjusted to the light. When she lowered her hands and opened her eyes she couldn't believe what was in front of her.

This wasn't an ordinary clearing, and Tomi wasn't an ordinary village.

Takara walked forward as she followed Kurenai. In front of them, the forest, which was once so dense you couldn't walk, suddenly stopped completely. Twenty feet from where the forest stopped the ground dropped off and Takara couldn't see where they were supposed to go. She walked for to the edge and gasped.

Tomi Village lay fifty feet below her. There was a staircase the spiraled down into this immense pit in the ground. At the very bottom lay the village. Takara couldn't believe it. This place was huge! How could anyone not be aware of its existence. Sure they didn't like outsider, but come on. How isolated can you get?

"Hurry up!"

Takara was startled out of her thought and began walking behind Kurenai again. The ninja led them down the staircase, which seemed to go on forever. Takara was busy looking into the city. There were so many people and buildings. It seemed almost impossible for all of this to fit in a hole in the ground.

The shops and restaurants stemmed from the middle of the town and branched out into the residential areas. At the center of the village was a tall building. That must be where the elders were.

The Tomi Village ninja walked to the end of the stairs. They turned and began walking through a neighborhood that had little kids playing with a ball in the street. As their group came closer, the children stopped their game and stood to the side of the road to watch them pass.

Takara got uncomfortable having all their eyes on her. She kept her eyes glued to the back of Kurenai's head to keep her from looking at any of the people they passed. She didn't want to startle them, they'd probably never seen strangers before.

The village was so low in the ground that the sun had already lost it's effect on the town. All the lights were on and lanterns were lit outside. Takara couldn't help, but begin to feel complete exhaustion settling in. As they neared the tower in the center of the village their team began passing by all the restaurants making Takara's stomach grumble with hunger. She hadn't had a good meal since before they left the village. Takara looked at all the different places to eat with want in her eyes. What she would give to have a meal right now.

The group finally arrived at the tower. Takara looked up at the building. It was smaller then the Hokage tower back in Konoha, but it was no less daunting.

The ninja led them all inside the building where they were checked by the clerk. She eyed all of them suspiciously as they walked by. Takara could feel her heart begin to pound against her chest. This was the moment of truth. If they could get the information they needed, who knew when the mission would get off the ground. They had no other leads then Elder Fuuin.

If they couldn't convince her to help them, the Akatsuki would surely find the other shards. Takara reached up and grabbed her necklace with both hands. But at least they already had one shard.

They walked down the hallway in silence as they neared a set of double doors. That must be where the Elders were. Takara bit her bottom lip as her nerves began to get the better of her. She took a deep breath to calm herself and stared hard at the doors. She was ready.

The leader ninja raised his hand and knocked on the door. He waited for a reply. Someone inside must have responded because he grabbed the handles on the doors and yanked them open. The team followed him inside the room. There was a set of small stairs that led up to a platform. The team walked up the stairs and filed into a line in front of the Elders who sat on large cushions on the floor. Takara looked at the four elders, three men and one woman.

She must be Elder Fuuin. The woman was sitting with her eyes closed and her head bowed. She wasn't even looking at them.

Takara stood straight with her hands still cuffed in front of her. They all must look pretty criminal right now. She kept her face emotionless as she waited for the Elders to speak.

"Your excellencies," said the leader ninja. He stepped forward and kneeled in front of the four Elders. "We have apprehended five shinobi from the Hidden Leaf Village. They were walking through the woods twenty minutes from the village. They have asked to speak with Elder Fuuin."

At the mention of her name Elder Fuuin lifted her head slightly, but still didn't open her eyes. Did she think she was too good to even look at them? Takara frowned at her rude attitude.

"And what is so important that you would ask for a private audience with me?" Elder Fuuin said slowly. She inclined her head at their team.

"We were hoping her grace would be willing to welcome an old friend," said Kurenai, not looking the least bit deterred by the elders actions.

Elder Fuuin opened her eyes and looked at Kurenai. Her face broke into a soft smile and she got up off her mat. She walked over to Kurenai with her arms held out wide.

"Kurenai," she said, clearly glad to see their sensei. "What a surprise, child. You should have let me know you were coming."

"I would have, Ayame-sama," said Kurenai with a smile. "But we're on a very hurried schedule. I'm afraid this trip is because of business."

Elder Fuuin nodded her solemnly. "Still a shinobi then," she said. "One of these days you'll see that I'm right and you'll settle down with a fine man and start a family."

Kurenai blushed at the Elder's words. She smiled weakly at the old lady, but didn't say anything. Elder Fuuin looked down at Kurenai's hands and saw the chakra cuffs on her wrists. Her smile disappeared instantly and turned into frown.

"What is the meaning of this!" she shouted, startling everyone in the room. "Why are there chakra cuffs on my guests! Take them off this instant! These aren't just any shinobi from the Leaf Village. They're traveling with Kurenai Yuhi. You fools!"

Everyone on the team sweatdropped as they watched the old lady stomp around the room shouting orders at anyone that was unlucky enough to pass by. The ninja came over and took the chakra cuffs off their wrists and untied Akamaru and Kin from their leads. Takara felt her chakra begin to flow through her hands and fingers again. She stretched her fingers and then close her hands into a fist. That felt better.

Kurenai stepped up to Elder Fuuin and touched her on the shoulder. Elder Fuuin turned around, ready to spout off another order, when she realized it was Kurenai.

"Ah, Kurenai dear," she said. "Arrangements are being made for your stay. You can rest tonight and then we'll talk in the morning. How's that?"

Takara was silently clapping on the inside. This would be great! They could eat and have a good nights sleep before they had to even talk about the shard.

"I'm sorry, Ayame-sama," said Kurenai. "But we don't have the time."

Takara's face fell as well as Elder Fuuin's.

"It would be best if we get to business right away," said Kurenai. "We'll need to leave right at daybreak."

"So soon, child? But you've only just arrived," said Elder Fuuin.

Kurenai nodded. "Our mission is one of great importance. Time is essential and cannot be wasted."

"I see," said Elder Fuuin. "Then let us go some place with a little more privacy."

Elder Fuuin walked over to the other side of the platform and pulled back a curtain. Behind the curtain was door which she opened. Kurenai walked over and followed her in. Takara paused. Did Kurenai want them to follow her or was this a private meeting between her and the Elder?

"What are we supposed to do?" Kiba grumbled.

"Takara," said Hinata. "Y-You're our ... co-leader. What should we do?"

Takara looked at Hinata. She wished Hinata wouldn't call her the co-leader in front of Kiba. That just got him even more annoyed.

"Let's go in," said Takara. "No real reason why we shouldn't be able to."

Takara walked over to the door and pushed it open. Inside Kurenai and Elder Fuuin were sitting on cushions around a small table. There was a candle flickering in the center of the table casting long shadows against the wall. Elder Fuuin sat at the head of the table and Kurenai in the seat on her left. Takara took the head seat on the other end as Kiba and Shino sat across from Kurenai and Hinata.

"Now then Kurenai," said Elder Fuuin. "What is it you want to speak with me about?"

Kurenai didn't look at the Elder as she said, "The Sacred Crystal."

Elder Fuuin stared at Kurenai, wondering if she was really asking for information about that. The Sacred Crystal wasn't something that was common knowledge anymore. She couldn't hand out that information lightly.

"Why?" she asked crossing her arms. "Have you any idea what that thing is?"

"It is a stone of unknown origin found hundreds of years ago," said Takara, getting everyone's attention. "It was shattered into five shards because of its dangerous powers and the shards were placed in each of the shinobi nations, protected by its own sanctuary."

Elder Fuuin narrowed her eyes at Takara. She tried to hold the woman's gaze, but found herself looking instead at the candle flickering on the table.

"Who are you?" asked Elder Fuuin leaning forward onto the table.

Takara looked at her and said, "Takara Nishimura, your grace."

"I don't know how you've come to learn about the Crystal," said the Elder. "But what does this have to do with anything. It's ancient history. No one cares about this anymore."

"Ayame-sama, have you heard of an organization called the Akatsuki?" Kurenai asked.

Elder Fuuin shook her head, beginning to think that being isolated from the world had its downside.

"They're a criminal organization whose main goal is to rule the shinobi nations. Right now, we believe that they are working on securing the shards of the Sacred Crystal and use its destructive power to further their plan of complete domination."

Elder Fuuin paused and seemed to take in this information. She hung her head and shook it back and forth. She sighed and looked up and stared at Takara. Takara looked around at the others, but they were all in thought too. She looked at Elder Fuuin and noticed that she didn't seem to be looking at Takara, but through her as if lost in her own thoughts.

Why was everyone quiet? She couldn't understand it. They should be talking about a plan right now. They should be figuring out what they were going to do to get the shards before the Akatsuki did. Instead they were sitting and looking at each other.

"So what do we do?" she asked.

Elder Fuuin blinked and her eyes seemed to focus on Takara's face. The others looked over at her too. Takara looked around at all of them, but rested her gaze on Elder Fuuin.

"Elder Fuuin," she said leaning forward onto the table. "Kurenai-sama says that you may have some information as to where the shards might be. Is this true?"

"I hope you don't expect me to just hand something like this over, do you? These are the shards of the Sacred Crystal. One of the most powerful objects in our history. Information like this doesn't come lightly."

Takara gritted her teeth. Couldn't she see that this was life or death for all of the shinobi nations? Even if Tomi Village didn't like to get involved in outside affairs, this affected them too. She should be more eager to help them, not just sitting there talking nonsense.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Takara. "You want us to do something for it? We don't have that kind of time! We have to find the shards before the Akatsuki does!"

"Takara!"

Takara flinched when Kurenai said her name. She was getting worked up, she knew that, but she couldn't help it. Was she supposed to just sit back and let the old lady ruin their plans? When Takara had calmed down Kurenai looked at Elder Fuuin.

"Ayame-sama," she said. "I know that you want to protect the Crystal at all costs, but believe me, we won't give away any of the information you give us. We want only to protect the shards."

Elder Fuuin looked hard at Kurenai. There was once a time when Elder Fuuin had believed she'd never need the help of an outsider. That had changed when she had been kidnapped all those years ago. Luckily, Kurenai had been given the mission to find her. Kurenai rescued Elder Fuuin from her captures and returned her safely to Tomi Village. Elder Fuuin had promised that she'd always be there to assist Kurenai in anyway. She knew she could trust Kurenai with the information, but what of her students? Were they as trustworthy?

"We already have one of the shards," said Takara, suddenly remembering her necklace.

Elder Fuuin's head snapped up and she stared at her. Takara held the stone around her neck up by the chain it hung on. It shined in the candlelight and she could see Elder Fuuin's eyes widen.

Suddenly, Elder Fuuin leapt onto the table and, nearly knocking over the candle in the middle, reached out for the shard. Takara was completely surprised and taken aback. She stared at the old lady as she held her necklace in her hand and examined the stone. She wore a concentrated expression as she stared at the shard and rolled it over in her palm.

After a moment, she paused and blinked, looking at the stone unbelievingly. She looked at Takara who was sure this old bag was going out of her mind from old age.

"It's real," she whispered. "It's the shard from the Wind Country."

"Of course it's real," said Takara impatiently, but tried to disguise it in her voice.

She reached up and took back her necklace and put it on. Elder Fuuin sat back down in her cushion and stared at Takara as she now fiddled with the stone.

"So, Ayame-sama," said Kurenai. "Will you help us?"

Everyone held their breath as they waited for the Elder's answer.

"Alright," Elder Fuuin said in a tired voice.

"You'll help us!" exclaimed Takara with a smile on her face.

"On one condition!"Elder Fuuin shouted, stopping Takara's momentary celebration. "You all have to swear that you won't breath a word to anyone outside this room. Understood?"

All of them nodded their heads and waited for what would happen next. Elder Fuuin stood up from the table and crossed her arms so they went inside the wide cuffs on her sleeves.

"Follow me," she said and began walking towards the door.

They all stumbled to their feet and walked behind her. She led them through the room they had first seen her in, and out into the hallway. It was now pitch dark outside, darker then anything Takara had every seen. Not even the moonlight found its way into the dark pit. Windows were now dark and everyone seemed to be starting to go to sleep.

Elder Fuuin led them down the main hallway and around a corner. They went down several more hallways and Takara was beginning to wonder when they were going to stop when the Elder halted in front of a door. She pulled out a huge key ring with what looked like at least seventy keys on it. Small ones, large ones, some with two keys on the same ring. Elder Fuuin found the key she needed quickly and slipped it into the slot and twisted it. She opened the door and walked inside.

"Don't touch anything," said Elder Fuuin as she turned on the light.

They walked into a room full of scrolls. There were shelves and shelves of scrolls going all the way up to the ceiling, twenty feet over their heads. The room was huge and filled with nothing, but scrolls that looked to be ancient. Takara looked around the room with her mouth agape. She'd never seen anything like this.

"Over here!" barked Elder Fuuin.

Takara and the others walked through the rows over to Elder Fuuin's voice. She stood along one of the back walls and had pulled away some books which now littered the floor. She had her back turned to them and once they'd reached her she turned around with a chest in her hands, there was an open safe in the wall behind her.

Takara looked at the small chest, intricately carved with minuet detail. Swirls and branches crisscrossed a pattern across the ancient wood.

"Hold this," she said to Kiba and she shoved the chest against his chest.

He heaved as the heavy chest knocked the wind out of him and he hung his head, trying to catch his breath. He straightened after a moment and Takara covered her mouth with her hand to keep herself from laughing at his annoyed expression.

Elder Fuuin unlatched the lid to the safe and opened it. Takara leaned forward to get a look at what was inside this hidden chest of secrets. Her heart thumped hard in her chest as she peered over Elder Fuuin's shoulder. Inside the chest were ... more scrolls.

Takara frowned. Elder Fuuin riffled through the scrolls in the chest until she found the one she needed. She lifted it out of the chest and slammed the lid shut almost snapping off Kiba's fingers.

She held the scroll out to Kurenai who took it without hesitation. Kurenai opened the scroll and looked it over. She narrowed her eyes and began glances at certain places on the scroll.

"This is ..." she said under her breath. " ... a map?"

Elder Fuuin nodded. "It shows the five locations of the shrines that house the Crystal shards. I assume it will be useful to you."

***

Takara lay awake in her bed staring at the ceiling. She was finally able to get some sleep, but for some reason her body wasn't letting her. What was going on? She needed to get rest before tomorrow or else she'd be even more useless then she was today. Takara rolled over onto her side and looked at Hinata who was in the next bed sleeping soundly. Takara wished she could be like that right.

She sighed and threw her covers off of her and swung her legs off the bed. She sat on the edge of the mattress and looked around for her shoes. When she couldn't find them she gave up searching and walked out of the room barefoot.

Takara tried to remember her way around this infernal maze of a building. If only she could find her way to the roof or to a balcony, she needed some fresh air. Takara turned the corner and her foot caught the edge making her stumble.

She fell hard on her knees and winced in pain. Takara sat on her bottom and held her foot and waited for the throbbing to subside as she mumbled incoherently to herself. Once the pain in her toes became more bearable she got off the ground and resumed her walk down the hall.

She couldn't see anything that pointed her to the roof or even a porch. Takara sighed and tried to think. That's when she heard a small shuffle behind her. She stopped and turned around and looked down the hallway. There was no one there. She frowned, sure that she had heard someone. She shrugged and turned the corner.

There it was again!

Takara flattened her body against the wall and hid just around the corner. Someone was following her and she aimed to find out who it was. The shuffling of foot steps grew louder and quicker as whoever it was tried to catch up with her. Takara watched as a body emerged around the corner, their face obscured by shadows.

Takara grabbed their arm and wrenched it behind their back. The person swung their elbow backward at her head and she ducked, causing her to let go of their arm. She swung at their face, but they stepped back and grabbed her arm. They yanked her to them and held her against against them, her back to their chest.

She elbowed the person in the stomach and they let go of her. She swung around, ready to swing her fist into their face again when her adversary lunged forward and knocked her against the wall. She gasped as the wind rushed out of her lungs. The person grabbed her hands and held them against the wall by her head. Takara twisted her body, trying to wrestle herself out of their grip.

"Takara, relax, it's me."

***

Preview Ch 12:

"Ready?" he asked looking into her eyes.

Takara nodded.

"Alright. One... Two..."

Takara gulped as she stared at Kiba. Their eyes locked for a brief moment and she felt her heart squeeze with anxiety.

"Three!"

***


	13. Ch 12: The Shard of the Fire Country

Animal Instincts

Chapter 12: The Shard of the Fire Country

Recap:

Takara grabbed their arm and wrenched it behind their back. The person swung their elbow backward at her head and she ducked, causing her to let go of their arm. She swung at their face, but they stepped back and grabbed her arm. They yanked her to them and held her against against them, her back to their chest.

She elbowed the person in the stomach and they let go of her. She swung around, ready to swing her fist into their face again when her adversary lunged forward and knocked her against the wall. She gasped as the wind rushed out of her lungs. The person grabbed her hands and held them against the wall by her head. Takara twisted her body, trying to wrestle herself out of their grip.

"Takara, relax, it's me."

***

"Ah- Kiba!" Takara exclaimed.

Kiba looked at her, his face only partially covered now by shadows. Takara breathed heavily as she looked at Kiba's own tired expression. He took a deep breath and looked back at her.

Takara caught herself looking too long into his eyes. She blinked and looked away only to notice that Kiba wasn't wearing a shirt. He had on a pair of pants, but that was it. No shoes, shirt or forehead protector.

Takara gulped as her heart banged against her chest. She took a breath through her nose to try and calm herself, but instead she inhaled the scent of his sweat. Surprisingly, it didn't remind her of a dog at all, but it was musky and potent.

Takara snapped her eyes back up at his and had to remind herself of where she was and who she was with. She tried to ignore the fact that he was half dressed and sweaty with a lot of effort.

"What are doing?" she hissed at him with narrowed eyes. "Trying to scare me half out of my mind."

"Don't exaggerate," said Kiba. "I heard your clumsy butt practically tear down the entire hallway outside my room."

"I wasn't that loud," snapped Takara leaning dangerously close to Kiba's face.

"You could have woken a herd of bison with your banging around."

Takara huffed in his face. She tried to think of something clever to say back to him, but she couldn't. She gritted her teeth and glared at him. She was away from the rest of the team and they were all safe here with the elders, she could bicker with Kiba as much as she wanted.

"Why are you following me anyway?" she snapped at him as he kept her pinned to the wall.

Kiba smirked and let her go. "What? Are you the hall monitor now?"

Takara fisted her hands and held them up by her face as she growled at Kiba. Her hand shot out suddenly and Kiba closed his eyes, waiting for her punch to land of him, but it didn't. Kiba felt a small jab on his chest. He opened his eyes and looked down to see Takara's finger hovering over where his bare chest.

"Did you just poke me?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah, and if you don't leave me alone I'll keep poking you," said Takara as she jabbed him in the chest again.

"Stop that," Kiba said as he rubbed the spot she had just hit. "You're so weird."

Takara jabbed him in the chest once, then twice. Kiba took a step back, but Takara followed him and continued to poke him in the chest. After the seventh jab Kiba finally grabbed her wrists.

"Stop!" he roared in her face.

Takara grinned. She leaned her head back slightly and then brought it forward. Kiba squinted his eyes shut and waited for the pain to come from the head butt Takara was about to deal him. There was a slight pause before her head gently touched his forehead, which was bare of his forehead protector. Kiba opened his eyes and looked at Takara.

She was grinning widely at him and seemed to be having fun antagonizing him in the most insane way. Kiba frowned and looked at Takara as if she were crazy.

"You definitely need some sleep," he said as he dropped her hands.

"You need to learn not to follow people in the middle of the night," Takara retorted as she looked away from him.

"You need to learn to be more quiet!" Kiba said in a roaring whisper leaning at her.

"Look who's talking!" Takara hissed back as she looked back at Kiba.

They stared at each other with menacing scowls. Just once Takara wondered what it would be like for her and Kiba to have a conversation that didn't consist of them shouting at each other.

'_You have to stop letting him get to you._'

Takara frowned as she remembered what Kin was always telling her. Even though the rest of the team wasn't here, she should still try and get along with Kiba for the sake of their sanity and everyone's around them. Takara spewed out the breath that she was holding and looked off down the hallway. She put her hands on her hips as she tilted her head and thought for a moment.

"I'm going back to bed," she said in a weary and defeated tone.

She turned around and began heading back when she heard the shuffle of feet behind her. Kiba came up on her left. He had his hands in the pockets of his pajama pants and kept his gaze straight ahead.

"Guess there's no point in me staying up as well," he mumbled.

They walked down the hallway in silence, neither one daring to look at the other lest another scuffle broke out for some unknown and petty reason. Takara was beginning to think that Kin might be right. This was becoming too much of a hassle being rivals with Kiba. Sure, it kept her motivated, but was it worth keeping this up when all they did was growl and snap at each other?

It was kind of disturbing to know that people purposefully avoided you when they knew that the two of them were in the same area. Was it that predictable that they were going to get into an argument?

They reached Kiba's room and he slowed down as he neared the door. As he reached for the doorknob Takara turned her head over her shoulder and slowed down her pace.

"Well, I guess I'll see you in the morning then," she said trying to be as calm as she could, her blood was still rushing from the energy they had produced.

Kiba stayed still for a moment before he nodded his head, a small frown on his lips. Takara nodded and began walking down the hall again.

"Takara-"

She stopped and turned around when she heard Kiba call her name. He stood at the door, his hands fisted by his sides. He was looking down at the ground and Takara wasn't sure what was the matter.

"What?" she asked, curious as to what he was going to say.

"Just don't ... don't go running into anything else," he mumbled.

Kiba turned and opened the door and slipped inside before Takara could think of something to say. She stared at the spot where he used to be standing and frowned in confusion.

"He's so weird," she thought to herself.

***

Takara trudged up the cracked and crumbling stairs that led through the thick and overgrown trees. The temple that protected the shard of the Fire Country was abandoned according to Elder Fuuin. No one had been to it in years and she knew that it was in complete ruin. It would be hard for them to find the shard if the building had crumbled.

The temple had once been a grand building. A huge fortress, meant to protect the shard, but the shard was soon forgotten. Kept away from the world and many of the monks at the temple, its story was soon forgotten by nearly all who lived in the Fire Country. The temple was abandoned for something newer and bigger. The Fire Temple run by Chiriku was the replacement of this once grand shrine.

Takara walked quietly, refusing to show her fatigue. What could she expect from having fights in the middle of the night? She wasn't exactly well rested.

The trees opened to reveal a large clearing overgrown with long grass, weeds and dandelions. The temple was still standing, but barely. Tiles from the roof had fallen off and shattered on the ground. The stone steps were cracked and there was moss and weeds growing up through the cracks. One of the doors was missing and it seemed that someone had been by here already once before.

"Elder Fuuin wasn't kidding when she said this place was in bad shape," mumbled Takara to the team.

She saw Hinata nod her head as she glanced around the clearing with a doubtful look. Kiba and Akamaru charged straight toward the temple and climbed the stairs up to the wide doors. He walked cautiously to the doors and peered inside. He turned around and began trotting down the stairs with Akamaru behind him.

"Yup, definitely abandoned," he said nodding his head.

"Wow, Kiba. Your a genius. We'd never make it without you," Takara muttered under breath sarcastically.

Hinata quickly covered her mouth with her hand to hide the small smile that appeared. She glanced at Kiba to see if he had seen her. Kiba was gritting his teeth together and his eyebrow was twitching slightly.

"Say something, Takara?" he asked tightly.

Takara gave him the biggest, cheesiest smile of her life and batted her eyelashes obnoxiously.

"Of course not," she said in a sickly sing-song voice, which only further annoyed Kiba.

"Listen up," said Kurenai in an irritated tone wanting t stop anything from escalating.

'She must not have gotten enough sleep either,' Takara thought.

"Ayame-sama had no idea where the monks hid the shard," she said looking between them all. "We'll have to search everywhere. Shino and I will stay outside and look around the grounds. Takara, Hinata, and Kiba, I want you three to split up and look around the inside. If any of you find something, come get us."

"Right!"

Takara turned and began jogging up the stairs with Hinata and Kiba following her. She dodged the cracks in the stairs as she ascended and stepped onto the landing. She walked towards the door, but before she was about to step through, Kiba quickly dodged ahead of her and slid through the open doorway with Akamaru on his heels. Takara growled at him when she heard a small chuckle follow him into the temple. She wasn't going to let him find the shard first.

Takara dashed inside the temple and she heard Hinata's small gasp of surprise as she ran to catch up to her two teammates. Takara saw Kiba standing in the middle of the main entrance hall with his nose in the air. Akamaru was sniffing around the room. There were many doorways leading off of this room. Takara peered into one room and saw that it was a library, not very large compared to some, but certainly not small. She checked into another room and saw that it was a lounge or sitting room. There was a fireplace, settee, chairs, bookshelves and tables.

Takara glanced over her shoulder and saw Kiba talking with Hinata. Takara walked over to them as she stroked Kin's feathery chest.

"Find anything?" she asked Kiba.

"We smell damp earth from the two rooms over here," he said and pointed at the two rooms Takara had just looked into. "There must be something that leads down into the ground, like a chamber. I think we should start there."

Takara nodded her head. "Good, Hinata start on the library. Kiba, you and I can tackle the sitting room together and if we don't find anything help Hinata."

Hinata nodded her head and turned toward the room she'd been assigned. Kiba was frowning and looking less then enthusiastic about the prospect of working together with Takara.

Kiba began walking toward the sitting room, but Takara wasn't about to let him into the room first. She walked next to him, but increased her pace. Kiba looked at her out of the corner of his eye and saw her beginning to pull in front of him.

Kiba began walking faster towards the door and lengthening his stride. Takara turned to look at him as he came closer. She began to power walk towards the door, but Kiba was watching and he moved faster as well. Neither of them let up and both reached the door at the exact same time.

Takara moved her shoulder in front of Kiba's body, but Kiba stuck his arm in front of her stomach. They both tried to push through the door at the same time, but were unable to fit. Takara refused to step back and let him through so she kept pushing on his arm to try and squeeze in front. Kiba leaned his body against her to give himself more leverage and to block her from getting in.

Kin had flown off Takara's shoulder the minute Takara began the race against Kiba. She was perched on top of Akamaru's head and both of them were looking at the two of them.

"Let... me... through," Takara grunted as she leaned into Kiba's arm.

"Not... until... I get... in... first!" he snarled back at her as he gritted his teeth.

Both gave one hard shove into the door and they both popped out on the other end. They stumbled to catch their balance and once they stood up they looked at each other. The moment Takara's eyes met Kiba's she turned her head away and crossed her arms. She didn't look at him, but somehow she felt his eyes one her.

"I'll start over here," she said as she headed toward the opposite side of the room.

"Fine with me," grumbled Kiba as he stalked off the other way.

They began searching through the book shelves that lined the walls. Takara pulled out a few books at a time to look behind them at the wall before putting them back in their original position. There could be a hidden switch or a safe of some sort. Kiba on the other side of the room was pulling books from the shelves and dropping them on the floor. There was a trail on books littering the floor behind him.

They continued to ignore each other as they made their way around the room. They both reach the fireplace and began looking around and under the settees and chair and table. Takara was getting disappointed that they weren't finding anything.

She looked over at Kiba who was sitting on the one-armed settee, his legs stretched out in front of him and his arms and head resting on the back. A vein popped up on Takara's forehead as she jumped up from the ground and stared at him.

"What are you doing?!" she yelled at him, not trying to keep quiet.

Kiba didn't look at her, but instead lifted his hand and held his index finger to his lips. He made a 'shh' sound and opened one eye lazily.

"Use your inside voice," he said as he looked at Takara.

She squeezed her hands into fists at she stared at this lazy excuse for a ninja.

"I can't believe you sometimes!" she shouted unbelievingly. "You're so lazy!"

"It's hard to stay awake when someone was barreling down the hallways all night," he countered as he tried to get comfortable against the settee.

"I was not _barreling_," said Takara. "I tripped and fell on the ground. It's not like I knocked down a wall."

"Sounded like it," mumbled Kiba as he turned his head away from her.

Takara rolled her eyes and shook her. "Well, can you get up and keep looking? I'm not going to find this thing on my own."

"You're doing fine," Kiba said as he waved his hand for her continue.

"Kiba, quit being stubborn."

Kiba chuckled from the settee, but didn't make any motion of getting up. He stretched out his legs and settled himself into the cushions without looking at Takara. She stomped her foot on the ground as she bared her teeth at him like a wild animal.

"Fine!" she said as she walked over to the fireplace and turned to look at him. "I'll just stand here until you get up."

Kiba lifted his head and looked at her. Takara put her hands on her hips and cocked her head at him in a 'do-as-I-say-before-I-hurt-you' look. Kiba raised an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders.

"Doesn't bother me," he said as he rested his head back on the cushions.

Takara growled through her teeth at him. She reached out her hand and leaned against the old and rusty andiron**. Takara opened her mouth to say something else when the andiron suddenly tilted sideways. Takara, having had all her weight against the andiron, lost her balance and stumbled sideways.

Kiba sat up from his resting position as Takara straightened herself. They both looked at the slanted andiron and then at each other in amazement. All of a sudden one of the bookcases moved to the side to reveal a staircase behind it.

Takara's jaw dropped at the sight and began walking over to it. Kiba jumped off the couch, now fully awake. They reached the open doorway that led down to who knows where. Takara tried to see as far down as she could, but it was completely black and the stairway curved around a corner ten feet in.

Takara looked over at Kiba as he glanced at her.

"You go first," they said in unison.

"Me?" Takara exclaimed. "I'm the one who did all the work in finding it."

"Which means that you should get the honor of leading the way," said Kiba pointing down into the black staircase.

"But _your_ the guy."

"Ah! You found it!" came a cry from the doorway.

Hinata came rushing into the room, her cheeks pink. She looked like she'd been working hard on her own in the library. She came up to the two and peered down inside the staircase.

"Who's... going in?" she asked looking slightly appalled at the prospect of being the one to go down the stairs.

"Kiba and I will go," said Takara. "Hinata, tell Kurenai that we found the entrance and we're on our way inside."

"Right."

Hinata nodded her head and ran out of the room in search of Kurenai. Takara reached back into her pouch as she took a deep breath. She pulled out a flare and ripped the tab. A flame of bright red burst out casting a crimson glow on their faces.

"Follow me, then," said Takara, slightly nervous at being the first one to descend.

Kiba groaned and held out his hand for the flare. "Give that to me. I'll go first," he said.

"Forget it. I can handle."

Kiba shot out his hand and snatched the flare from Takara. "I don't doubt that," he said as he began to walk passed her.

"I don't doubt that," Takara mimicked Kiba in an annoying voice. She turned to Kin and said, "Stay here with Akamaru. We'll be back."

They started down the stairs and Takara tried to stay only as close to Kiba as necessary. The staircase was lit into a brilliant, luminescent scarlet light. Takara smelled the damp earth of the ground they were walking through. It was so pungent she could almost taste the sediment. There footsteps echoed against the stone walls and the shadows crept up the sides of the stone.

Takara heard a small drip land near her. She looked up and saw that the roof was leaking from the water in the ground. Not good. If the soil in the group was becoming wet then the foundation of the room around them was being eroded away by the water. The staircase was weakening day by day from the weathering the water was doing on the stone.

They needed to hurry and get what they came for.

After a few more minutes inside the tiny staircase Takara began to see a glow coming from down at the bottom. At first she hadn't noticed it because it was a red glow like the flare. The deeper down they got the brighter the light turned out to be. Takara was getting anxious to reach the bottom and sped up moving closer to Kiba.

They heard their footsteps began to echo less and less as the light became brighter and brighter. Finally, they turned the last bend and reached the bottom. They were in a small, round room with a low ceiling. There were no doors that led anywhere else and in the middle of the room was an stone pedestal. On the pedestal in the center of the stone was the shard shining, undimmed by the darkness in the room.

Takara caught her breath at the way the stone gleamed on its own. She stepped forward passed Kiba and stood next to the shard. She was afraid to take it now that she'd come all the way down here.

Kiba stepped forward, unimpressed by the splendor that Takara so easily saw in the shard. He stared down at it for a moment before he lifted his hand to take it off its resting place on the stone pedestal. Before he could take the stone though, Takara smacked his hand away.

"What?" he said indignantly.

"Are you crazy? You can't just take it, what if it's booby trapped?"

"This place is a million years old, the traps probably don't even work anymore."

"How would you know?"

Takara stared at Kiba, sad that she was truly becoming immune to their bickering. He stared back as he held the flare up over their heads.

"What's your plan then?" he asked.

Takara stared down at the stone briefly before looking up at the ceiling and around at the wall. There were streaks where the water had run down the wall and into the chamber. She didn't have time to think too much.

She sighed. "Alright, on the count of three, you grab the shard and we'll both run up the stairs as fast as we can. The foundations in this chamber and in the staircase are weak because of water that's run down through the soil."

Kiba nodded his head and held out the flare for her to take. Takara grabbed the flare and held it up above their heads. Her heart began to beat painfully in her chest as Kiba concentrated on the shard.

"Ready?" he asked looking into her eyes.

Takara nodded.

"Alright. One... Two..."

Takara gulped as she stared at Kiba. Their eyes locked for a brief moment and she felt her heart squeeze with a feeling she was beginning to identify.

"Three!"

***

Preview Ch 13:

Takara stopped nodding and looked at him.

"It's the Akatsuki," she said gravely. "They're outside fighting with the other three. They must know that we're here for the shard as well."

Kiba nodded. "We can't stay in here. We have to go out and help!"

Takara nodded. "The only way we know of so far is the front door and although it's unmistakable and obvious, we can't afford to search for another exit. There's no time."

"So what? We barge through the front door!"

***

(1) Andiron – horizontal iron bar which logs are laid for burning in a fireplace

***


	14. Ch 13: Unmistakable and Obvious

Animal Instincts

Ch 13: Unmistakable & Obvious

Recap:

She sighed. "Alright, on the count of three, you grab the shard and we'll both run up the stairs as fast as we can. The foundations in this chamber and in the staircase are weak because of water that's run down through the soil."

Kiba nodded his head and held out the flare for her to take. Takara grabbed the flare and held it up above their heads. Her heart began to beat painfully in her chest as Kiba concentrated on the shard.

"Ready?" he asked looking into her eyes.

Takara nodded.

"Alright. One... Two..."

Takara gulped as she stared at Kiba. Their eyes locked for a brief moment and she felt her heart squeeze with anxiety.

"Three!"

* * *

Kiba reached out and snatched the shard from its place on the pedestal. The two sprinted towards the staircase, Takara holding the flare above their heads. As Takara took her first step onto the staircase she heard the sound of falling stone. She looked over her shoulder in time to see a huge chunk of the ceiling had fallen through.

"Come on!" she yelled to Kiba who was right behind her.

"No, I think I'd like to stay for a while," she heard him say sarcastically.

"Now isn't the best time for this!"

They rapidly ascended the staircase, Takara in front keeping the flare high. Kiba clutched the precious shard in his fist. Around them the staircase began to rumble as the secret passage began to cave in. Takara began taking the steps two at a time, hoping to make it to the surface faster.

Rubble began to fall from the ceiling and more then once small stones fell on top of them. Takara was so intent on making it out of here alive that she didn't see the ceiling in front of her beginning to fall through. She kept running forward, oblivious to the danger overhead.

"Takara!"

Kiba dove forward, tackling Takara to the floor. His hand scraped against the rocky stairs, making his knuckles bleed. He winced at the sharp pain, but looked to see that Takara was okay. She rolled over to look at him. Her eyes widened when she saw the stone ceiling now lay inches from her feet. Kiba didn't want to waste any time. They weren't out yet.

"Come on," he said gruffly pulling her to her feet.

Takara grabbed the flare which had flown out of her hand when Kiba had knocked her down. It was barely alive and its light was fading. If they didn't get out soon they would be trapped for sure. She held the flare over her head again and they continue up the staircase.

The flare cast a red light throughout the stairway and then it went pitch black every time it went out. The flickering light made it hard for them to see where they were going and Takara kept feeling like she was going to trip. She pushed herself to concentrate and go faster. Kiba was pulling farther away.

The tunnel lightened and Takara knew they were coming to the top. The flare went out once more and Takara's foot caught on the edge of a step. She closed her eyes and waited for the hard pound of her body on rock. Before it came she felt Kiba grab her wrist and pull her from the tunnel. She stumbled into him and they both fell to the floor.

Takara took a steadying breath and felt Kiba's lungs do the same thing underneath her. She sat up next to him quickly and stared at him with a wide eyed doeful look. Kiba propped his upper body up with his elbows and they stared at each other. Takara was panting hard and him being so close was somehow making it worse.

Takara looked down at her hands and saw that they were covered in dust. She clapped them together and a cloud of dust rose in the air. She looked down at her torso and chest and saw that she was completely covered from head to toe in debris.

Kiba snickered as he watched the air become full of dust as Takara tried to brush some of it off. She looked at him with an evil eye as he laughed at her. She looked at his jacket and noticed that he had just as much dust on him as she did.

Takara smacked his arm and watched as the dust cloud floated over his face. Kiba breathed in some particles and began to cough. Takara laughed as Kiba tried to swat away the dust cloud. Takara saw his bloody, scrapped knuckles and immediately ceased laughing and grabbed his right hand.

"What- ?" said Kiba before choking out another cough.

Before he could protest Takara reached back into her knapsack and pulled out a strip of gauze.

"Open your hand," she said in an unplayful tone.

Kiba complied and loosened his fingers. Takara wrapped the gauze across his knuckles and turned his hand over, his palm facing up. She made a small knot to keep it from coming off.

"Can you flex your hand?" she asked.

Kiba made a fist and nodded.

"It's not too tight or too loose?"

Kiba shook his head and stared at Takara as if waiting for her to give another command. He was actually paying attention and in a good way. They had just laughed together. Takara couldn't ever remember doing that with Kiba. It had been... nice.

Takara blinked a few times before looking away and pushing herself to her feet.

"Now, don't go getting yourself hurt again," she mumbled.

"If I recall correctly," said Kiba looking up at her as he continued to lean on one elbow. "It was me who just saved you from the cave in."

"Hmph."

Takara stuck her hand out for him to grab, but refused to look him in the eye. Kiba blinked, looking unbelievingly at her outstretched hand. He smirked and took the hand she offered with his bandaged one. He stood up from the ground and brushed some of the remaining dust from his pants.

"Kiba," said Takara looking around the room with furrowed eyebrows. "I have a feeling something is not right."

Kiba frowned and looked around the room. He looked back at Takara with a confused expression. He was about to say no when his face changed with realization.

"Hinata!" he said. "She's not here with the others. They should have come here by now."

Takara nodded. "Something must be going on outside that's keeping them from coming back."

Kiba gritted his teeth and looked at the doorway that led to the entrance hall. They needed to hurry and find out if their teammates were all right. But they couldn't just go barging outside. They needed a way to see what was going on.

"Takara," said Kiba looking at her. "Send Kin outside through a window and have her see what's going on outside."

"Kiba, what kind of plan is that when the room doesn't have windows?" asked Takara giving him an incredulous look.

"Well, we have to see what's going on out there somehow!"

Takara looked around the room for some way to get Kin out. If only Hinata had stayed they could have really used the Byakugan right now. She needed a plan fast.

"The chimney!" she cried.

Takara ran over to the chimney and stuck her head inside the grate. She looked up to see the opening. It was the same width and length at the top as is it was at the bottom, more then enough room for Kin to fly in and out.

"Kin," Takara called as she held up her arm.

Kin flew over to Takara and landed on her outstretched arm.

"You need to flew up the chimney and see what's going on outside that's keeping the others from coming back," Takara explained. "Don't be seen."

_Is the chimney the only way? It's kinda dirty in there. It probably hasn't been cleaned in years and I just cleaned my feathers the day before yesterday,_ Kin complained.

"You can be so melodramatic," said Takara through her teeth. "Don't argue just go."

Kin flew up the chimney and out of sight. Takara stood up and turned to Kiba.

"Do you have the shard?" she asked.

"No, I dropped it in the tunnel," he muttered sarcastically. He held the shard up in his hand for her to see.

"You hang on to it. We can't risk the Akatsuki trying to take me again and then getting two shards. It'll be safer to keep them split up."

Kiba nodded, his mouth in a tight line. Akamaru walked over to stand next to him and nuzzled his bandaged hand. Kiba patted him on the head before stuffing the Fire Shard in one of his jacket pockets. Kiba glanced at Takara as she kept her gaze on the fireplace. For some reason, the thought of her being taken made his stomach turn into a bunch of knots. He thought back to when he'd seen her laying in the road with Hinata at her side. The memory made his throat tight.

This wasn't like him. He had never cared this much about Takara's well being. Now, this feeling made him want to defend her. His stomach had nearly fallen out of place when the cave in almost crashed down on her.

Kiba stared at her while she had her focus elsewhere. She was different now. Unlike when they were kids, even Genin. She'd gotten stronger and more determined.

And more stubborn.

Kiba frowned at his thoughts. Since when did he begin thinking about Takara like this? All their childhood up until now they'd been rivals. Completely bent on beating one another. What was happening between them?

Kiba looked away when he saw the streak of golden plumage as Kin came diving down the chimney. Takara held her arm out and Kin landed on it. She was streaked with soot from the chimney and her feathers were ruffled in irritation.

"What's going on?" asked Takara.

Kiba watched as Kin screeched and Takara nodded her head. Was this how he and Akamaru looked when they talked to each other? It was weird only be let into one side of the conversation. He watched Takara only nod her head as the hawk continued her screeching dialog. Did it ever get annoying for Takara to hear all that screeching?

Takara stopped nodding and looked at him.

"It's the Akatsuki," she said gravely. "They're outside fighting with the other three. They must know that we're here for the shard as well."

Kiba nodded. "We can't stay in here. We have to go out and help!"

Takara nodded. "The only way we know of so far is the front door and although it's unmistakable and obvious, we can't afford to search for another exit. There's no time for secrecy."

"So what? We barge through the front door!"

* * *

Hinata breathed hard as she held her hands in the Gentle Fists position. These two Akatsuki members had arrived the moment she'd informed Kurenai that Takara and Kiba had discovered a hidden room. They must be the ones who had attacked Takara. Hinata gritted her teeth as one of the members advanced on her slowly. His orange mask was distracting her concentration.

"I-I'm warning you to stay back!" said Hinata trying not to sound nervous.

How could she though, he was an S-class criminal ninja! She didn't stand a chance against someone like him.

Suddenly there came a crashing sound from the temple. The remaining door now lay flat on the stairs and dust was circling from out of the temple and covering the entrance. Out of the cloud of debris came a kunai flying right towards Hinata. She blinked, unable to move herself. The kunai caught hold of the Akatsuki member's jacket and pinned it to the ground.

The dust cleared to reveal the remaining members of the team. Takara stood with one hand on her hip and the other one at her side. Kiba had his arms crossed and the two of them looked extremely formidable crashing through the doors.

"I think you better lay off," said Takara pointing at Tobi. "Or there will be trouble."

"Trouble, un?"

Takara stiffened at the sound of that voice. Him again. She turned her head to see the blonde haired Akatsuki member Deidara standing between Shino and Kurenai.

"We don't want trouble, un," he said smoothly. "So give us the shards and we'll leave you alone, yeah?"

"Tch, yeah right," said Takara glaring at Deidara.

"Un."

Deidara swung his arm in front of him sending four large clay birds flapping in their direction. Takara remembered these from their last fight.

"Kiba, move!" she shouted as she jumped off the stairs.

Kiba was right behind her and the birds whizzed by them and crashed into the temple. The entire front half was blown away and what was left standing had caught the flames of the explosion and was slowly being licked away. Takara and Kiba landed sprawled on the ground.

Takara's body rolled over a few times in the grass. She winced when she tried to stand. She heard the running of footsteps and the flapping of clothing. She looked in time to see the other Akatsuki member in the orange mask charge at her. She jumped out of the way as he swung at her face.

Takara's feet barely touched the ground when more clay birds were flapping her way. She reach into her satchel and grabbed a few shuriken. She threw them at the birds causing them to explode. Smoke filled the air and Takara covered her eyes to avoid being hit.

Out of the smoke came more birds, this time moving faster. Takara grabbed shuriken with both hands and threw them at the birds. As they exploded more smoke filled the air when another bird came out of the smoke. She missed one!

It was headed straight for her and she didn't have enough time to get another weapon to stop it. Takara brought her hands over her face, waiting for the impact.

The bird exploded before it reached her, but the force of the explosion sent Takara flying backwards. She skidded on the ground and uncovered her face. Why did the bird explode?

"Cutting it close today, aren't we?"

Takara looked up to see Kiba standing over her. He was flipping a kunai over in his hand in a carefree manner.

"Everything is under control," she said as she leapt to her feet.

As the smoke began to clear away a giant bird rose from the clouds with Deidara and Tobi on its back. Deidara smiled down at them dangerously, an evil look in his eye. They rose in the sky and circled over head of the clearing.

Takara sped toward the center of the clearing and met with Kurenai, Hinata and Shino. Kiba and Akamaru sprinted over to meet them.

"What do we do?" asked Hinata more quietly then ever.

"We can't defeat this enemy," said Kurenai. "Now isn't the time to fight them. We need a way to escape. I can cast a genjutsu, but I'll need them to be in range. They're too high."

"I can bring them down," said Takara. She took a step back and wove hand signs together rapidly.

"Wind Style: Hidden Flight Jutsu!"

Large wings protruded from her back and feathers filled the air. Without wasting anytime Takara flapped her wings and lifted herself into the air. She was running low on chakra so she needed to do this fast. Takara swooped behind the giant bird the two Akatsuki members were riding. Deidara looked behind when he heard the beat of wings. His eye widened before narrowing again.

"Kin, just try and make them move lower," said Takara as Kin came up to her left.

_Right_, said Kin.

Takara took out some shuriken and began throwing them at the bird. The man in the orange mask blocked them with a kunai. She trailed them as they circled the clearing. The blonde one seemed to be working on something, but she wasn't sure what it could be and she didn't want to find out the hard way. Takara pulled out some wire and sped up. This big bird wasn't very fast.

Takara spun around the bird, wrapping the wire around it. Kin held onto the other end with her talons as Takara pulled the wire tight. One of the wings on the bird was clamped against its body and it desperately tried to stay in the air using only one wing. It began to tip to one side and was losing altitude rapidly. Deidara gritted his teeth together and glared at Takara. He was holding a large amount of clay in his lap, but it didn't look like a bird or anything recognizable. That must be what he's working. He must have gotten onto the bird because this new explosive took longer to make then one of his birds.

Deidara grabbed a chunk of clay from the mass in his lap and squeezed it in his hand. He threw the clay, which was now more birds, at Takara. She had to let go of the rope and grab shuriken from her pouch. She threw the weapons at the birds and they exploded in the air.

Kin flew through the smoke towards Takara. The bird had dropped rapidly and was now shaking off the wire only twenty-five feet above the ground.

_Takara, I think our work is done_, said Kin as she flapped her wings to stay airborne.

Takara looked at the ground and saw Kurenai begin to weave hand signs together. Takara descended to the ground and landed next to Shino. Her wings disappeared in a cloud of feathers. She watched Kurenai as she finished the hand signs.

"Genjutsu: Flower Petal Escape."

Everyone looked up at the bird to see what happened. The bird stopped its flight and was staying in one spot. The pair on its back froze and began looking around, disoriented and confused. The genjutsu had worked.

"Now we leave," said Kurenai. "The jutsu will be dispelled in a few minutes. We need to get as far away as possible and with as much stealth as we can."

Everyone nodded as they ran into the forest and out of sight.

* * *

Preview Ch 14:

"So, what's your plan?" asked Takara as Kiba began to hatch a scheme to see how pink he could make her cheeks by hitting her hand on purpose.

"Uh, what plan?" he asked as he tried to veer his mind onto the new subject.

"If we're going to make it through the next 24 hours then we better have a plan," Takara said simply.

"What if we put a gag in your mouth and leave it in there until tomorrow?"

Takara glared at Kiba out of the corner of her eye.

"Geez, take a joke, will ya?" he muttered after having her murder him in her thoughts.


	15. Ch 14: Chains

Animal Instincts

Chapter 14: Chains

Recap:

"Genjutsu: Flower Petal Escape."

Everyone looked up at the bird to see what happened. The bird stopped its flight and was staying in one spot. The pair on its back froze and began looking around, disoriented and confused. The genjutsu had worked.

"Now we leave," said Kurenai. "The jutsu will be dispelled in a few minutes. We need to get as far away as possible and with as much stealth as we can."

Everyone nodded as they ran into the forest and out of sight.

* * *

She was going to kill him this time. In all honesty, Takara didn't think she had enough will power to contain herself this time.

"I told you everything was under control," she said through gritted teeth at Kiba as he walked behind her.

"Yeah, I could see that by the way I had to save your neck a million times," he said with his arms crossed. "You could just thank me and admit that I'm just more advanced then you."

"I'd rather eat a snake."

Takara sped up her pace and began walking ahead of the group, not wanting to talk to Kiba any longer. Kurenai looked between the two of them from behind the entire group. She shook her head, disappointed with the way Takara was letting Kiba get under her skin. She knew Takara's dream was to be a great kunoichi, but she'd never get there if she continued to get irritated with Kiba so easily.

She couldn't understand the animosity between them. They made a wonderful team when they worked together, but the hard part was getting them to work _together_. She couldn't have them yelling at each other for the entire mission. They'd never make it home alive. Not because the two would attract unwanted attention, but because she'd personally strangle them both if they didn't stop bickering.

Kurenai shook her head, almost feeling like a babysitter to a couple of toddlers. The cogs in her mind began to turn as she tried to think of ways to maybe help the two of them learn to get along. She had an idea forming in her mind, but she knew that the two of them would not want to cooperate with it at all.

"Hey, Takara I found a snake," called Kiba holding up a harmless, brown grass snake. "Should I cook it up for you?"

The snake wriggled in Kiba's hand and swung its head around. The snake sunk its shallow fangs into Kiba's hand. Kiba yelled in surprise and let go of the snake, shaking his hand as he tried to throw the snake off him. The snake let go and dropped to the ground, quickly slithering away back into the forest. Kiba grabbed his hand as blood trickled from the wound, through his knuckles and down his palm and wrist. Kiba groaned at the sharp pain, his eyes closed against the sting.

"Ah! Kiba!" cried Hinata making Takara turn around.

Takara took one look at the blood dripping from Kiba's hand and immediately she felt as if her entire body stopped all processes. She took one deep breath and everything began working at a faster, almost more painful, pace. Takara sprinted back to the group as she tried to calm her racing blood and pounding heart.

When she had gotten close enough to see the wound better, it didn't look nearly as bad as she'd thought. Two small puncture wounds were all the snake left on the webbing between Kiba's thumb and index finger. Takara told herself that she couldn't act shaken up or else everyone would wonder why she was acting so strangely. She forced herself to look cool and collected even though for chest felt tight and her mind was racing with thoughts of what kind of snake had bit him and if it was poisonous.

What if it was poisonous? She'd have to cut open the wound and drain the poison, and see if she could create anti venom. Then find a village for him to recover and that would set back the mission, giving the Akatsuki time to find the next shard. Then they'd fall behind and lose ground and possibly not find the rest of the shards. Takara felt herself getting mad as she thought of all the things that could go wrong.

"Kiba, you idiot!" she said as she grabbed his bloodied hand roughly and unsympathetically.

"You could be a little gentler!" he cried.

"What kind of snake was it?" Takara asked, ignoring her patient.

"A brown grass snake," said Kurenai. "Completely harmless."

Takara nodded and let go of Kiba's hand. "You're lucky it was a brown one and not a yellow grass snake. You'd be on your knees already."

She swung off her bag and dug through it before finding a canteen. She pulled the cork out with her teeth and held out her hand for Kiba's. He looked hesitantly at her, wary about how much more pain she might cause his already wounded appendage, before placing his bitten hand in her outstretched one. Takara quickly pored water over the injury. Kiba hissed as the water ran through the puncture wound. He grunted as she continued to pour more water slowly until finally he couldn't handle it.

"Enough already," he said as he tried to pull his hand away.

Takara tightened her grasp. "Don't be such a baby," she said after putting the cork back in the canteen with her teeth.

She reached down into her bag and pulled out a roll of gauze. She began to wrap it around his hand, taking careful steps to make sure that it was tight enough to apply enough pressure to stop the bleeding but keep the circulation flowing.

"You just get the bandage off your knuckles and then you go and do something stupid again," she mumbled. "Do you always get hurt this much?"

"Only when you're around," Kiba growled back. "You're like a curse."

"I'm a curse!" she exclaimed. "I've never risked my neck so much since becoming a Chunin then on this mission. I think it's you who's bad luck."

"All I've been doing is saving your neck!"

"No one asked you to!"

Takara tied the knot of the bandage roughly making Kiba hiss with pain.

"Don't bother thanking me," she said as she packed up her medical gear.

"Wasn't planning on it."

They both turned their heads away and ignored each other. Kurenai was sure that now she needed to step in and do something. She shook her head and walked forward to stand in front of them. Kiba and Takara glanced at her, irritation still shadowing their eyes.

"Are you done?"

Takara nodded as did Kiba, but neither looked at the other.

"Good," said Kurenai. "Because there's something I'd like to do."

She reached behind her and into her bag. Kiba and Takara narrowed their eyes at her, wondering what it was exactly she was doing.

"Takara, Kiba, hold out your hands," she said.

Kiba and Takara did as she said and held out both hands, palms up; Takara her left and Kiba his right. Kurenai quickly pulled whatever it was out of her bag and slapped it down on their wrists. Takara looked and immediately gasped at what she saw.

Chakra cuffs!

Takara pulled her left hand, which was now confined in one link of the cuffs. As a result Kiba's right hand swung over and jerked him forward.

"What is this?" he asked with a dark look.

"A lesson for the two of you," said Kurenai. "I've said before that making too much noise is dangerous for the mission and your teammates, but that hasn't stopped the two of you from bellowing out your lungs. If you two can't act civilly on your own, then I'll make you."

Takara swore she felt herself want to laugh out of sheer disbelief. How could this happen? What was she going to do now? Kiba was going to be chained to her for who knew how long and she was supposed to just accept it?

"Kurenai-sensei, this isn't necessary," she said hoping that Kurenai would take pity on her and set her free from this rapidly developing nightmare.

"I believe it is," said Kurenai with a hard tone. "I'll release you two when you can prove to me that you're able to act civilized around each other for 24 hours. Until then you'll remain locked together."

"But what if the Akatsuki show up?" said Kiba. "How are we going to fight?"

"Let me worry about that if it happens. Starting now, you have until tomorrow morning to prove to me that you're capable of working together."

Kurenai turned around without another word and began leading the group on their way again. Takara stared at her, stunned by this turn of events and above all completely terrified at what would take place. She glanced over at Kiba who looked just as shocked as she did. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. They immediately looked away from each other and began walking forward at the back of the group.

"This is all your fault," he mumbled in a low tone so Kurenai wouldn't hear.

"My fault," Takara hissed back at him. "You're the one that picked up the snake. What kind of person would pick up a snake without knowing how to hold it?"

"You practically tore my hand off with your hand-me-down medical training."

"I was trained by Shizune herself, who studied under Lady Tsunade!"

"Did I mention," called Kurenai from up ahead. "That the time restarts every time I hear you two fighting?"

Takara gritted her teeth. This was going to be harder then she could imagine. Not only did she have to not fight with this insufferable beast, but she'd have to find a way to not lose her head in the process because she was finally beginning to accept that … she was becoming attracted to her rival.

* * *

Kiba walked along the path fuming the whole way. It had been only an hour since Kurenai had first put the cuffs on them and their time had been restarted four times already. This was impossible!

Kiba found it easier to keep from fighting when he didn't look at Takara. Yet for some reason or another he'd catch himself looking at her out of the corner of his eye. What was going on? No matter how hard he tried to keep his distance from her and make as little conversation as possible, he kept getting pulled closer. This had never happened before. What was he supposed to do?

Kiba tried to cross his arms in frustration, but found it hard to do when Takara's hand got wedged in his armpit. The pull yanked her off balance and she fell into him knocking them both to the side.

"Kiba! What are you-!"

Kiba slapped his unchained hand over her mouth and looked ahead at Kurenai. His sensei continued walking without even glancing back. Kiba let out a sigh of relief. He didn't think he could handle another set back.

He looked down into Takara's golden eyes and felt himself pause for a moment as he was caught off guard by her stare. How had he not noticed it before? Something in her eyes hypnotized him and for the briefest of moments he felt himself want to never look away from them. Kiba blinked as the instant passed and he was shaken back into reality as Takara tried to fight his hand off her face.

"Have you gone mad?" she whispered at him.

Kiba wished that was his excuse, but sadly he didn't think it applied to their situation. Kiba dreaded that there was something more subtle and unstoppable working between them that he never could have seen coming. Kiba sighed, beginning to feel the fatigue of always arguing with her. Were they destined to be like this for the rest of their lives?

"Takara," he said, his voice showing his fatigue. "We're going to make it through this. I don't care what we have to do, but we can't keep going at it like this."

"Kiba…"

"Keep moving," called Kurenai. She and the other two were well ahead of them.

Kiba and Takara began to walk again, their hands bumping every so often. Kiba, as he unconsciously watched her out of the corner of his eye, noticed that every time their hands would brush together Takara's cheeks seemed to get pinker. Was he seeing things?

"So, what's your plan?" asked Takara as Kiba began to hatch a scheme to see how pink he could make her cheeks by hitting her hand on purpose.

"Uh, what plan?" he asked as he tried to veer his mind onto the new subject.

"If we're going to make it through the next 24 hours then we better have a plan," Takara said simply.

"What if we put a gag in your mouth and leave it there until tomorrow?"

Takara glared at Kiba out of the corner of her eye.

"Geez, take a joke, will ya?" he muttered after having her murder him in her thoughts.

"I think maybe if we set some agreements," said Takara. "We can work together on this."

"What kind of agreements?"

"No sarcastic remarks, no muttering under our breath, no pointing out when the other does wrong, no blowing up over something small, remembering that we are chained together and occasional run ins are bound to happen."

"Well, now you've gone and taken the fun out of our already dull relationship," said Kiba with a frown.

"That's the kind of stuff I'm talking about," Takara gritted between her teeth.

* * *

"We'll rest here."

Kurenai led the four Chunin into the small tea house on the side of the road. There were very few customers, but it was warm and inviting after walking around in the sun all day. The sound of clinking metal could be heard faintly throughout the restaurant as Kiba and Takara maneuvered their way through the tables to one of the side booths. They all sat down and waited. Kiba looked around over his shoulder, hoping to see a server coming their way.

"What's taking so long?" he whined. "I'm starving."

"Should have eaten that snake when you had the chance," mumbled Takara, before wincing in remembrance of their agreement.

Kiba shot her a glare, but before he could say anything he glanced over the table at Kurenai. She was staring at the two of them, almost waiting for the moment when Kiba would retaliate with a smart comment and the bickering would resume as normal. Kiba wouldn't give in. Instead he gave Takara one last glare before ignoring her comment and resuming his search for someone who would bring him food.

Kurenai lifted an eyebrow at this unexpected turn in behavior. She hadn't expected Kiba to concede so quickly. Kurenai had thought they'd have to be restrained for at least three days before they finally got so sick of each other and had run out of quick remarks to say that they'd be forced to be quiet. It didn't look like that was the case though. It seemed as if they had found a way where they could actually be around each other and not argue. Hard to believe.

Their table, for once, was the most uneventful one in the whole restaurant as they waited for their food to be brought out to them. No one spoke or looked at one another, but Kurenai swore she caught Kiba and Takara exchanging quick glances at the other while they weren't looking. Was there something happening underneath the surface with these two?

While Kurenai pondered about the secret link between her two most ill suited Chunins, the food finally arrived. Everyone immediately grabbed for their utensils and started to dig in. Before she could even get the first bite of food into her mouth, Kurenai felt the table rattle and the sound of dishes clanking together.

"Why did you do that?" Takara whispered to Kiba ferociously. "Didn't you see I was going to take a bite?"

"Well, I'd like to eat sometime, too," Kiba stated pointing at his food.

Kiba looked down at their chained hands. His right was connected with her left hand. How were they going to eat when their dominant hands were chained together?

"Wait, you're left handed?"

"No, I just prefer to make my life more difficult."

"I hate to say it, but-" Kurenai began, but was cut short when Takara stuck her hand out to stop her.

"Not this time," she said, getting irritated with this whole time watching. "We're not fighting, we're working this out. There's a difference, subtle as it may be, there is a difference."

Kurenai blinked several times before smirking and returning to her meal. Takara turned back to Kiba, who seemed closer then before as he stared back at her… with a mouth full of food.

Takara wrinkled her nose in disgust at his bulging cheeks as he chewed his food. He lifted the corners of his mouth as he tried to smile through his mouth full. He nodded at her food and nudged her hand with his. Takara looked at her plate as she got the hint.

As Kiba finished chewing his food and swallowing it Takara lifted a bite of food to her mouth and began to eat. They continued this changing of hands, which seemed to work well for them. Takara glanced at Kiba as he took another enormous bite of food. Who would have thought that he'd be the one to figure out a way? He surprised her sometimes with his intuitiveness. Takara felt a stirring in her heart as she kept her gaze on him.

Oh, was she in trouble.

* * *

"Kiba, Takara, is the barrier set up?" asked Kurenai.

"Yes," the pair said in exhausted unison.

It was well passed nightfall and the platoon had walked as far as they were willing. All of them were tired and ready for a good nights sleep. Takara looked forward to getting these cuffs off so she could stretch out and relax for the first time since this morning.

"I can't wait to get some rest," said Kiba as they walked back to their bags.

"Yeah, no offense, Kiba, but I can't wait to get separated from you," said Takara with a smile on her face, half truthfulness and half joking.

"I'm beginning to see that we have more things in common then I realized," said Kiba sarcastically drawing a smile from Takara's lips.

"Well, it seems my plan is working out."

Kiba and Takara tried to turn around, but instead of turning together they both turned inward and banged their heads against the other's.

"Ow!" said Takara and reached up to rub her sore temple.

"You could say that again," mumbled Kiba as he rubbed the spot on his forehead that had collided with her temple.

"Owww," said Takara with a mischievous grin.

"Funny," said Kiba as he rolled his eyes.

Kurenai couldn't believe what had developed while she wasn't paying attention. Not only were these two cooperating with each other, they were … flirting?

It could be just her imagination and they were just being friendly, but the way Takara was smiling and Kiba was reacting, Kurenai could see why it hadn't taken them very long to get over the fighting. Had this always been there and no one had noticed? Or maybe they had always had these feelings, but chose to be rivals so that they wouldn't be embarrassed. Whatever the reason, Kurenai still had trouble believing what was right in front of her. She'd have to keep her eyes open and try not to miss anything.

She cleared her throat, snapping the two Chunin out of their connection and regaining their focus.

"I'm sure you two are tired after your long and strenuous day," she said with a wicked smirk. "You'll be the last round of watch tonight so get a good rest."

"We're looking forward to it," said Kiba as he held out his and Takara's wrists.

Kurenai looked down at their hands that were still connected by the chakra cuffs. She looked up to meet their gazes, so anxious for the few hours they would be free of each other until tomorrow morning.

"I hope you don't think I'm letting you out now."

"Well, why wouldn't you?" asked Takara with a frown, narrowing her eyes. "You can't expect us to sleep like this?"

"What's the matter? It won't be that hard."

"He sleeps with Akamaru! I'll become his new body pillow!"

"Don't flatter yourself," Kiba mumbled.

"Look, guys, you'll be fine," said Kurenai waving her hands in front of her hoping to relinquish the death glares the pair were giving her. "I'll give a key to who ever is on watch and if it's an emergency they'll unchain you for the night only."

"Our rest and peace of mind isn't an emergency?" Takara asked with a hooded expression as if she were contemplating Kurenai's death sentence.

Kurenai sighed heavily and then furrowed her eyebrows. "You know what? You two will get over it sometime."

She walked away from the pair and headed straight for her sleeping roll. Takara stood staring after her with her mouth agape. Was this for real? How on earth was this ever going to work? Eating dinner was bad enough, but this? Let's see Kiba come up with something now.

Kiba sighed heavily and Akamaru nudged his hand with his nose. Kiba patted his head and Akamaru made a low whimpering, groan.

"Sorry, Akamaru," he said with a tilted grin. "It looks like I have a new sleeping partner tonight."

Takara's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open slightly at the words that had just come out of Kiba's mouth. Her cheeks turned bright red and in the same instant Kiba realized how different his words could be taken. He, too, turned crimson and he smiled goofily.

"I don't mean in that way," he said as he waved a hand as if trying to erase the statement from their minds. "Just … you know … not sharing anything, but … friends only. You know what I mean?"

Takara's thoughts calmed down when she heard him say friends. Did he really consider her as a friend? Maybe Kurenai's plan was really working. Takara's skin color turned back to normal as she smiled softly and nodded.

"Yeah, friends," she said.

Kiba grinned back at her and they both stood there smiling at each other. Akamaru barked from behind Kiba and they both were startled out of their trance.

"I guess we should try and get some sleep," said Takara, avoiding Kiba's eyes.

"Yeah."

They both walked over to where they had set up their sleeping rolls. And lay down on their backs.

"Goodnight," she said.

"Oh, yeah, goodnight," said Kiba.

Takara turned her head away from Kiba and pretended to fall asleep, but every time she closed her eyes his face was there.

* * *

Preview Ch 15:

Kiba looked over to his right as watched as Takara walked beside him. She didn't seem at all fatigued and looked completely rested. She was glowing and Kiba couldn't help, but snarl at her good mood.

"Kiba, did you sleep alright last night?" she asked without looking at him.

Kiba raised an eyebrow at her, but chose not to answer, knowing it was the wiser choice. Takara walked closer to him and bent her head down low.

"You have to promise not to say anything," she said in a whisper.


End file.
